Witches Almanac

THE BLURB:
This book has been cooking for almost a year now.

After Reflections came out and was a hit I decided to take
the aged book genre in another direction, a direction that
made perfect sense.

I incorporated the Reflections methodology into the book,
with one big change that I'll get to in a moment.

A Witches Almanac actually does exist. It's not a dark book
of black magic, it's a "witchy" version of the old Farmers
Almanac.

The actual Witches Almanac was started about 25 years ago.
It's a rather light or "white" book read mostly by wiccan
followers.

This almanac is dated 1938 well worn and a bit "darker" than
the real almanac.

It is the largest of my aged book series at 5 1/2 by 4 1/2
inches, but still small enough for adding a bit of "spice"
to your strolling act.

About two months ago I brought my esteemed friend Dr. Bill
Cushman in to work with me on this project. Bill and I
consider "Witches" to be the crown jewel of my aged book
series.

There are over 140 pages with over 30 illustrations.

If you liked Reflections (which you do!) you will love
Witches.

The same methodology is used in Witches as in Reflections,
as I mentioned above, with one exception, and it's a big
one!

I came up with a diabolical method for Witches (and only
Witches) that eliminates the need to have the spec ever say
a word! That's right boys (and girls) They don't say a word,
there is no fishing, they don't write anything down, and of
course, you never peek the book.

On every right hand page there are 8 different "inner
truths" (500 total in the book), on the left side are
various "witchy pagan" illustrations and quotes.

These "inner truths" are made up of elements, emotions,
guidence and "cures" that are specifically aimed at the
reader.

They are designed to not only allow you to "see into their
mind", but they give you information that will allow you to
be "one ahead" for any cold reading you might want to do
based on the entry they have chosen, an entry they will
instantly internalize as relevant to only them.

There are hundreds of different "inner truths" in the
almanac. These are not single lines of text,these entries
are three or four lines each.

Witches allows you to duplicate an illustration in a very
unique way.

It lets you reveal a quote you couldn't possibly know the
spec is reading, it let's you reveal emotions the spec is
experiencing and how they can overcome a negative
experience.

The Witches Almanac is 100% examinable. There are no
"banks", no sevengali principle or short pages used.

You do not need to know a page number, you do not peek the
book, and there is NO fishing.

The book is small enough to carry with you anywhere! You'll
never leave home without it!

The method is so simple it will blow your mind.

The book has also been designed to be U.K. friendly!

Every page in the book is hand aged. The cover is an aged
and distressed velo stock (not card stock)

The Almanac is a mentalism effect. It is perfect for those
that want to add a little "mystique" to their set.

It is perfect for those that perform bizarre magic.

Bill and I designed this book to appeal to not only the
professional performer, but the hobbiest as well, not to
mention the collectors.

MY COMMENTS:
This is a gorgeous prop that's everything promised in the
blurb. What's more, I think Outlaw Effects is insanely
undercharging this beautiful, hand-made prop.

Now, what's not mentioned in the blurb is that the method
used to choose the "inner truth" that "eliminates the need
to have the spec ever say a word" involves five beautifully
hand aged Tarot cards. The cards are kept in a special
pocket in the back of the Witches Almanac. Three cards are
selected and these cards are used to determine the "inner
truth." The participant doesn't have to say a word, nor
reveal the cards. And that's all I'll say about that.

Also, there is a little bit of memorization involved (seven
sentences, to be precise). However, the mnemonics are quite
easy and, should you need to, it is possible to create a
crib for it. Within these truths, there are topics (such as
health and travel) that will be revealed, stones (such as
Tiger's Eye or Crystal), elements (such as air and fire),
and feelings (such as sadness and happiness). In addition,
there are quotes and illustrations which can be revealed.
Obviously, you don't have to use all the revelations that's
packed into this prop, but it's great that there is so much
flexibility.

This may be obvious, but another consideration for this
product is its theme. Though you can certainly play up the
mysticism and legend of the Witches' Almanac as much or as
little as you want, the mere fact that this book is titled
Witches' Almanac may unsettle some or make some feel that
their participants/audience may be uncomfortable. Please
note that the information being revealed is tame and should
not be unsettling at all, but the title and some of the
drawings (mostly of Tarot cards, such as The Tower) may be.

The instruction booklet is a nicely detailed 32-page booklet
which explains everything clearly and gives some additional
information which will help you develop a powerful routine.
In comparison to Outlaw-Effects other wonderful series aged
books, this is by the far the most impressive. Its only
other drawback is that, unlike Sinister, it works best for
one-on-one, or small groups, and isn't really suitable for
large audiences. But since there are always times that a
mentalist, even a stage performer, needs to do some intimate
demonstrations, and since the unique aged book provides an
incredibly valide reason for having it (which can vary
depending upon your persona), this is a prop which I highly
recommend. And, since it's hand-aged, who knows when Outlaw
Effects will stop being able to produce this, or even come
to their senses and raise the price. I'd consider this a
limited edition and buy it right now.