December 5, 2007
Here's what's in this edition of
Jheff's Marketplace of the Mind Newsletter
*** LOOKING AT THE MARSEILLES TAROT
- Enrique Enriquez
*** HEMISPHERES - Jay Sankey
*** OSTERLIND TRILOGY - Richard Osterlind
*** WEBSITE CHANGES
*** REAL GHOST STILL AVAILABLE!
To make a purchase of any item in the JMOM newsletter,
please go to http://www.MarketplaceoftheMind.com
and use the shopping cart. If you're unable to do
this, you may respond to this e-mail.
To make sure you've not been missing any newsletters, check
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the recent past newsletters are archived there.
*********
I've got lots of news and products and I've kind of let
myself get a bit behind. So this next week or two I'll be
playing catch up. Just in time for Christmas, eh? Watch
the site for the latest updates. But first, let me digress
a bit.
The mystique and mystery of Anastasia has now come to an
end. This is one of those unsolved mysteries that somehow
piqued my imagination as a child and I don't know why. It
certainly has inspired many books and movies. For those
unfamiliar with the legend, it involved the assassination of
Czar Nicholas II and his family. However, Anastasia's body
was never identified and many assumed she may have escaped
and lived a full, private life somewhere. A few people have
claimed to be her.
However, that fantasy of Anastasia's escape from death has
now been proven to be wrong by amateur scientists. This
unsolved mystery has now been solved. Anastasia did die
along with the rest of her family. It turns out that the
family's killers didn't want the family's remains identified
and so they took two of the eleven victims and buried them
away from the rest. The killers thought that if anyone
found nine bodies, it may be mistakenly concluded that the
remains were not of the royal family.
So, Anastasia, rest in peace. And you just know that
Anastasia will continue to be a great subject in seances and
bizarre magick routines.
Oh, and while we're on such morbid subjects, a tip of the
helmet to Evil Kneivel, who took that final leap into the
undiscovered country this past weekend. Like many of my
friends, he inspired us to have wonderful boyhood fantasies
about doing crazy stunts like jumping over canyons and cars
and such that Evil was famous for. He certainly was a symbol
of that and an icon that will forever be remembered.
**** PRODUCT NEWS
Docc Hilford has a new product, Black Moon. It's available
on the website, along with refills. Comments will come soon
as I'll have it in stock by this weekend. Also, on a side
note, Docc has changed the name of his Raven's Slates. It's
now called Peyton's Slates.
Also new to the the catalog is Devin Knight's Retro-Sight,
which is another new entry in his Psychic Sight series.
It's available now.
Luke Jermay has a new book, 3510. From the description, it
looks pretty good. I should have a review copy by this
weekend and so I'll have comments up probably early next
week. It's available now.
Kenton Knepper and Mark Townsend's Cards of Influence is
also now available. I'll have comments on both items soon.
Joshua Quinn has a new manuscript called Duplicity, which
will take your drawing duplication routines to the next
level. It's part of my Friends of the Marketplace program.
There's a link on my website now and I'll include my
comments on it in the next newsletter.
Ross Johnson has a new DVD being released called Simply
Psychic. With Ross' reputation, I'm sure it's a fine
product, but I'm not sure from the description if it's aimed
at beginners, professionals, or all levels of mentalists.
When it becomes available, I'll let you know what it is.
Fans of Trilogy Streamline may be pleased to know that
Trilogy Streamline, Version 2.0, will be released soon. I
have no idea what the difference is between this and the
original. I'll keep you posted, of course.
Two highly requested items will be available again shortly.
Brad Henderson's The Dance, which has been unavailable for
quite some time and fetching high prices on eBay, will be
reprinted soon in a new paperback format. It's available
for pre-order now and highly recommended.
The other item is Kenton Knepper's Wonder Readings, and it
also will be available in a new format, which I suspect
means that the audio tapes will now be on CDs. I believe
Wonder Readings will also be available at a lower price.
It's not available from me yet, but I'm hoping it will be
soon.
**** WEBSITE CHANGES
To make things easier for me, I am no longer manually
entering credit card charges. It's now done automatically,
which means you'll get receipts instantly. Part of the
reason for this is because it was time-consuming. But the
big reason is because the shipping charges seem to working
fine now so there is no more need for me to compute and
charge them manually.
As to shipping, all U.S. mail will be shipped by USPS
Priority Mail. All international orders will be shipped by
International Air Mail, though if shipping exceeds $40, you
can choose the flat-rate box option.
**** REAL GHOST STILL AVAILABLE
My distributor did get a limited supply of Christopher
Taylor's Real Ghost, but apparently some that were earmarked
to be distributed were not claimed. So there is a nice
supply of this wonderful new utility item that should last
through Christmas. Oh, and I'll be adding my comments about
Real Ghost within a day or so.
**** PAST NEWSLETTERS NOW ON-LINE
Finally, I broke down and just decided to be plain lazy.
Instead of taking the time to re-format the newsletters and
make them all pretty looking for the blog, I decided I'd
rather spend the time on other more important things like,
oh, keeping the website up to date with the current
mentalism products and my comments. Right now, I'm only
posting the 2007 newsletters. Perhaps, in time, I'll put
more up.
So, there's a whole new section where you can see all the
past newsletters. If you subscribed and aren't receiving
them, either check to make sure that the newsletters aren't
being considered spam by your Internet provider, or
re-subscribe (which is the easiest).
***** MARKETPLACE MEMBERSHIP CLUB
The new issue of Jheff's Journal of the Mind spotlights
Mark Strivings, one of mentalism's most prolific creators
and most famous as the creator of the SUC case, which
pros use. To get this issue, you need to buy a membership
in the Marketplace of the Mind. For the $37 cost you get a
subscription to the 2007 issues of Jheff's Journal of the
Mind, an all-new e-zine for mentalists, and an additional
5% discount off merchandise from the Marketplace of the
Mind. There will also be specials and other stuff
throughout the year. Check out the preview edition
of the Bonus #0 issue featuring Jack Kent Tillar. Go to
the website and click on the banner at the top. Or use
the link below.
Check it out here:
www.marketplaceofthemind.com/jmmc.html
***** THE FRIENDS OF THE MARKETPLACE
Don't forget to check out the new Friends of the Marketplace
section. This is for those creators who are producing
wonderful products that I don't carry. This is because, to
save overhead, I order as needed from my distributor, and
these creators aren't mass distributing it. If you'd like
me to review your product and help you sell it, then you'll
find details about the Friends of the Marketplace program on
the website. There's a button on the left hand side for you
to click on.
Enrique Enriquez has a wonderful new e-book on the Tarot,
LOOKING AT THE MARSEILLES TAROT, which is suitable for both
beginners and experienced readers. Joshua Quinn's DUPLICITY
takes your favorite drawing dupe routine to the next level.
Also new to the section are Ron Martin's THE TAROT READER'S
NOTEBOOK, a must-have for Tarot readers; Patrick Redford's
TRIANGLE, a comic book featuring 3 clever new items; Loren
Tindall's beautiful new THE DELPHI PORTAL, which is a
must-have prop for anyone who is a reader; and Gene
Nielsen's THE MAGICK YEARS, a jam-packed e-book filled with
over 70 professional and varied routines.
Remember, I don't make a dime on this stuff. I do this
because I think the stuff is very good and worth it.
http://www.jheff.com/friendsofthemarketplace.html
Until next time. -- Jheff
*********
ENRIQUE ENRIQUEZ
LOOKING AT THE MARSEILLES TAROT:
NOTES ON TAROT'S OPTICAL LANGUAGE
Suggested Retail Price: $25
Available at:
http://www.mindseyeview.com/marseilles-tarot.html
THE BLURB:
Perfect for Both Beginner and Expert
If you've avoided learning a Tarot system because "there's
too much to memorize", you'll find yourself pleasantly
surprised when you discover that you can start almost
immediately, using the simple approach Enrique lays out for
you in this easy-to-read and entertaining e-book. Even if
you've never picked up a Tarot deck in your life, you'll
find that the first time you put Enrique's system into
practice, you will be able to see insight and meaning in the
cards spread before you.
In this informative e-book you will find:
• A solid explanation of why Tarot cards work
• How to use safe and practical psychological principles
• Why Enrique prefers the Jean Noblet Marseilles Tarot over
any other
• The two fundamental processes in any meaningful reading
• Why memorizing card meanings can be counter-productive
• Two essential keys to a successful Tarot experience
• Real-life examples of Enrique's system at work
• Many color illustrations of Enrique's favorite Tarot
• Seven easy but powerful hands-on exercises
• Why the Minor Arcana are just as imporant as the Major
Arcana
• The secret language hidden in every Tarot card
Even if you've been reading Tarot cards for years, you'll
find that the application of Enrique's simple yet effective
system can truly take your interpretations to the next
level.
Practical Yet Powerful
If you've always thought Tarot cards were either too
"occult" or "New Age-y", you'll appreciate Enrique's dynamic
approach that is based on sound psychological principles and
straight-forward thinking. Regardless of whether you
gravitate toward ceremonial robes or laboratory coats,
you'll find much of practical value within these pages. The
principles revealed are quite simply fundamental and
universal, and require no special belief system to put into
action.
And, if you already have a tried-and-tested way of reading,
it's a snap to add Enrique's system to the mix for a more
thorough interpretation.
Can Be Used With Any Tarot Deck
While Enrique makes no secret of the fact that he prefers
the 350 year-old version of the Marseilles deck (available
as a limited edition only at http://tarot-history.com, by
the way), the system he teaches in this e-book can be
applied to any Tarot deck you may happen to use. Rider-Waite
. . . Aquarian . . . Thoth . . . Hermetic . . . Osho Zen . .
. Angel . . . Faery Wicca . . . Celtic Dragon . . . whatever
deck you're used to, Enrique's system will make your
readings even more revealing and insightful than before.
MY COMMENTS:
There are those who might criticize this work because
Enrique has simplified Tarot reading, but that's exactly
Enrique's point: Tarot is, and should be, simple. It
shouldn't be cluttered with countless symbols and imagery
that must be painstakingly memorized. Enrique shows you to
look at the cards in a very natural way and how to let the
cards create a unique and personal story for the reader and
the sitter to discover. And though this book explains how
the basic imagery of the older Marseilles Tarot deck
(specifically the one by Jean Noblet) is the best deck to
use for this, this approach can be used with any deck.
The ad blurb is pretty thorough in describing the contents
and certainly makes it very clear that this technique can
easily be learned by a beginner to Tarot as well as
experienced readers. It is another wonderful entry in
Enrique's series of books about intuitive readings. If
you've ever wanted to learn Tarot, this 33-page downloadable
e-book is a wonderful starting point. I'd even recommend
reading this before Enrique's Invisible Tarot. If you're an
experienced Tarot, this is a wonderful explanation of the
Marseilles Tarot and why it's a great deck to use for
readings. Definitely recommended.
*********
JAY SANKEY
HEMISPHERES
JMOM Price: $36
Suggested Retail Price: $40
THE BLURB:
HEMISPHERES is an ingenious collection of 20 startling
psychic effects, many of which Jay is sharing for the very
first time. This exciting dvd includes "experiments and
demonstrations" with business cards, coins, watches, playing
cards, fortune cookies, photographs, magazines, notepads,
paper money, tarot cards, play-doh and even a doll's eye!
And thanks to Jay's philosophy of "mind over muscle," the
majority of these truly startling routines require VERY
LITTLE SLEIGHT-OF-HAND ABILITY! Instead, the emphasis is on
full presentations and nurturing a REAL connection with your
audiences. Jay even includes an enormous amount of scripting
right out of his own professional repertoire!
Jay also discusses the importance of making your mentalism
as visual as possible, deflecting focus away from yourself,
the relationship between simplicity and flexibility, the
power of the implicit, and the performance of what Jay calls
"meaningful mentalism." Here are JUST A FEW of the 20
incredible routines:
NONEXISTENT
The mentalist predicts the name of person nobody has ever
met!
THIRD EYE
Three randomly selected cards are "seen" with a doll's eye!
DOLLARS & SENSE
From several different receipts, an audience member chooses
the receipt matching the exact amount of money held in their
own hand!
HYPERSENSITVE
The dates of three borrowed coins are divined in an
exceptionally fair fashion!
CONSTELLATION
With just two business cards and two markers the mentalist
reveals an inexplicable connection between himself and a
member of the audience.
RECEPTION
The psychic successfully "sends" a mental image of a glass
of wine, right down to the exact level of the liquid!
And as a very special ADDED BONUS Jay has included a
professionally printed, full-color photograph for his
incredible PHOTO FINISH routine!
Runtime: 200 minutes
MY COMMENTS:
Jay Sankey is VERY prolific and very creative. I think most
will agree. This collection certainly is more proof of
that. With Jay, though, he feels that mentalism is an
exciting branch of magic and there are many mentalists who
disagree with that. Hence, much of what he does plays like
mental magic, though a majority of that can easily be used
for mentalism routines. In other words, there's a wide
variety of stuff here and a little something for everyone.
I liked Child's Play, which involves a participant naming
ANY color and that color playdough is shown to be the only
blob in a small playdough container. Hypersensitive is a
very nice handling of an old idea as applied to coins,
making it a sweet impromptu piece of mentalism. XS+Ohmygod
is a wonderful new take on the Tic-Tac-Toe predition.
Alphamail is a really cool headline prediction that doesn't
use headlines. However, it does deal with sending material
to the host ahead of time, it does use known principles
including pre-show work, and is a very strong mind control
or premonition experiment.
That's just four out of the twenty routines and ideas on
this disc. Here is the complete list of routines:
Director's Cut, Choice Effect, Dollars $ Sense, Third Eye,
How Fortunate, Child's Play, Lottery, X-Ray Vision,
Nonexistent, Hypersensitive, Witching Hour, Alphamail,
Constellation, Secrets, Group Hypnosis, Reception,
Painkiller, Intersection, XS+Ohmygod, Photo Finish.
As usual, there's very little crediting and a fair amount of
playing card material, but Sankey is clever and a lot of fun
to watch and the material certainly lives up to that.
*********
RICHARD OSTERLIND
THE OSTERLIND TRILOGY
JMOM Price: $36
Suggested Retail Price: $40
THE BLURB:
Three acclaimed books now together in one deluxe volume
Thousands have read Richard Osterlind's e-books Making Magic
Real, Making Real Magic and Essays and many have reported
that the way they approached their magic—and even their
lives—was changed forever.
Now, for the first time, these three ground-breaking books
have been assembled into one beautifully-bound softcover
volume that can change your life and magic.
You’ll find the secrets to what really makes magic not only
memorable but relevant to today's sophisticated audiences.
In a recent survey, Richard Osterlind was named the most
influential mentalist of all time and in these pages, you’ll
discover the exact methods that have made him one of the
world’s most successful mystery entertainers.
Also included are three powerful effects, including the
original Osterlind Design Duplication System, Osterlind’s
Amazing Memory Demonstration and a wonderful handling for
the classic Haunted Key.
If you’re ready to take your magic and mentalism to the next
level, The Osterlind Trilogy is now ready to help you there.
Pages 148 - Paperback
MY COMMENTS:
These are the same texts found in the e-books which have
been available as downloads from Richard Osterlind on his
website for the past few years. Only the first book, Making
Magic Real, has been available in a print version. The two
effects included in the book have appeared on his DVDs are,
natch, classic. Both are well worth the price of the
booklet if you're not familiar with them. But these effects
are merely examples of principles discussed within and icing
on the cake, so to speak.
The true importance of this trilogy are the ideas presented
within these pages. Here, Richard explains how to make your
performances memorably effective and explores topics that
are essential to the success of the working mentalist.
Chapters include "If You Believe in Your Magic, So Will
Others," "The Mental State of Mind," "Knowing What the Magic
Is," "Personalizing Magic," "How Can Magic Be Real," "Seeing
Through the Eyes of the Audience," "Magic and Music," "Magic
and Comedy," and "Audience Management."
From a mentalist viewpoint, the only concern might be how
advice about magic applies to a mentalist. Some performers
feel that mentalism is merely a branch of magic and others
feel that mentalism is a different art form entirely. Magic
and mentalism are both arts that create mystery and there
are definitely guidelines that apply to both, regardless of
your viewpoint towards the classification of mentalism.
Much of what Richard says can definitely be applied to
mentalism. Richard performs mostly mentalism and these
words he preaches, he practices. Now, you may disagree with
Richard's approach to mentalism. I certainly don't agree
with everything he says. But his words are certainly worthy
of consideration by any performer of the mystery arts.
Even though I have the original e-texts of these books, I
much prefer to have a nice copy for the bookshelf. For
those of who you don't have these, this is a handsomely
produced paperback version of the book and certainly a
must-have for mentalists, or would-be mentalists. Very few
books get you thinking about your performance and get you
thinking about the right areas to improve and tighten to
make the act more successful. This is one of those few, so
it's highly recommended.
NOTE: If you'd like to obtain the e-book versions, they are
still available at www.OsterlindMysteries.com though, at the
time of this writing, it's less expensive to get the printed
volume.
*********
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