Fredrick Turner

Reflections

Learning

  • Al Leech on EDC

    How many times have you been to a party and had someone thrust a deck of cards upon you with the breathless request to “do a trick”? Not very often, probably. But when it happens, the shock is likely to drive from your mind all your painfully accumulated knowledge of pasteboard skullduggery. Al Leech, Cardmanship,… Continue reading

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  • Mixing It Up

    Reflecting recently on the magic books I return to often, I realized that they tend to be ones that have a mix of effects and essays by the artist. The essays can be philosophical, advice, or an interview by the artist. Here are a few examples (in alphabetical by artist): The Magic of Michael Ammar… Continue reading

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  • Details

    The small details in magic make a huge difference to the experience we are providing our audience. I like to say, when talking about magic, that it is an art form that relies on carefully controlled, yet broken, communication. It must be carefully broken so that the audience receives the correctly constructed message for the… Continue reading

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  • Convention Reflection

    The annual 2024 IBM convention was held recently within commuting distance and I took the opportunity to attend. I hadn’t been to an IBM convention since the early 80’s when it was in Pittsburgh. I hadn’t attended any conventions since the 2020 SAM convention in Las Vegas right before the world shut down. One of… Continue reading

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  • Yoga of Conjuring – XIV

    Samadhi The eighth and final limb is Samadhi. Samadhi has been described as bliss, nirvana, self-realization or union with Spirit or Source. It is the expanse of meditation.  Magicians can think of it as the point where all of our work bears fruit in a performance that has the magic that we are looking to co-create… Continue reading

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  • Yoga of Conjuring – XIII

    Samyama Patanjali brings together the final three limbs under Samyama.  Samyama is Sanskrit for holding or tying together. It consists of the three inner practices of Dharana or concentration, Dhyana or absorption and Samadhi or union. These three limbs also tie together all of the previous limbs and are why the yogic meditator has worked… Continue reading

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  • Yoga of Conjuring – XII

    Pratyahara The third and fourth Limbs are in preparation for the fifth – Pratyahara.  This is where the meditator consciously withdraws from external stimuli.  This is accomplished by closing one’s eyes, shutting off the outside and withdrawing from the day-to-day.  The meditator moves from focused breathing like the Even Count Breathing to simply allowing the… Continue reading

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