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conjuring / illusionist skills, long cons and criminality - resources?

Ellen Travis

Thinker
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Joined
Jul 26, 2012
Messages
131
I am very interested in accessing any resources regarding this issue.

I am interested in any biographical accounts, historical accounts, any kind of resource really.

My special areas of interest are:

Cults and pseudo-spiritual movements, gurus, fakirs and holy men and women who use / used conjuring skills to hoodwink victims. - I have seen unimpressive and rather disgusting videos of the late conman / guru Sai Baba "manifesting" golden spheres by regurgitating them into handkerchiefs - anyone know of similar videos or other resources?

Complex long cons that involve illusionist skills as one element of their modus operandi. I have watched all of the Real Hustle videos and have read various books relating to long cons by Iceberg Slim / Robert Beck but am very interested in anything more in depth.

Anything to do with the manipulation of groups or individuals (whether "mind control", propaganda, public relations, advertising) that has involved elements of illusionist skills.

Any of the above also including elements of hypnotism (although that is also a whole other subject)

thanks :)
 
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It's an interesting question and one I thought would be fairly easy to research, but I was wrong. I've posed the question on a magic forum I frequent, but am getting little to nothing so far.
 
I'm very interested in these subjects as well and watched a couple of Real Hustle videos on youtube that I had never heard of until your post (thanks for mentioning it). I don't have anything in particular to share with you that you probably haven't found yourself except my own experience. When I was in college I completely stole Uri's routine and got a great deal of mileage out of it at parties. I never made any money on the woo but I'll admit some people may have walked away with incorrect assumptions on cause and effect when it came to bending silverware, nail and coins.

I came this (picture my thumb and index finger in close proximity) to attending a local Beltaine event this last April for the sole purpose on causing a little cognitive dissonance in a few pagan community members minds. A number of years ago I performed a mentalism routine (my main reason for being there was to put on a free children's magic show) at this yearly local well attended event and since then I have been on a number of pagan community mailing lists and I know the details of what is coming up. This year the event was scaled down and less expensive. One day they had scheduled a workshop on making your own magic wand. I've looked on youtube to see videos of what to expect. It involved going into the woods with a group of people and choosing the right branch from the right tree and sanding it and saying some mumbo-jumbo so you have your own magic(k) wand that no real wiccan should be without. I remember noticing these wands many people had and were also being sold when I was at the festival last time and was fantasizing about effects I could do with them. I considered going this year just so I could go into the woods with a group, choose a big twig/small branch and make my wand levitate (hehehe) and dance around. I could even make other people's wands dance around (I think people wouldn't mind me touching their wand before it is finished - after the mumbo-jumbo I think they get a little proprietary about who touches their wand :rolleyes:). Two things stopped me -- the possibility I would have to perform in very bright sunlight which is not ideal and not having a good exit strategy if things got ugly and someone felt I was mocking them. It would have been fun. Maybe they will do it next year and I will have someone to go with (either who wants to be there or who would have the car warmed up if I need to make a hasty retreat. To be honest the Rev. who ran the show and is the grand poobahess was kind of sweet on me last time I was there.

It would be fun for me to engage in a thread about suggestion/hypnosis because I'm very interested in the topic, even more so now that my nephew just hung out a shingle as a hypnotherapist.
 
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