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ECLIPSE – By Dee Christopher and The 1914 – A Review

ECLIPSE – By Dee Christopher and The 1914 – A Review

ECLIPSE – by Dee Christopher and The 1914 – A Review
Gimmicks and Online Instructions

This is the Ad Copy:

Every mentalist needs ESP cards in their toolkit and now you can own one of the greatest ESP decks ever devised.

Eclipse is a secretly marked deck of 25 ESP cards (+ gaffs) meaning that YOU know which card your spectator is holding at any time by secretly glimpsing the marks on the back. But these marks are like NO other.

What use are marked cards if you can’t see the marks?! This is a very real problem with the typical alternatives; Nothing looks more suspicious than a performer leaning in and closely squinting at the back of a selected card to figure out what it is. Eclipse is the answer; the marks are SO bold, you can literally identify a card a spectator is holding from the other side of the room!

Bold, yes. Obvious? HELL NO. The marks may be bold to you but remain INVISIBLE to the uninitiated. Spectators can freely handle the cards and even under close inspection will struggle to find the secret.

People will be CONVINCED you’re psychic!

Eclipse is the brainchild of Dee Christopher, star of BBC Three’s award winning Killer Magic television series. Having gone through hundreds of poor-quality ESP cards at gigs, Dee designed Eclipse to last a lifetime; The cards are printed on plastic stock to avoid degradation, so if they get grubby, simply wipe them clean. No more ordering a new pack for every gig you’re booked for!

If we supplied your brand new Eclipse deck only with written instructions, it would be GREAT value for money. But we’ve gone one better (six better, to be precise).

When you purchase an Eclipse ESP deck, you will be granted exclusive access to an in-depth online video masterclass with the creator, Dee Christopher. The video will not only entrust you with the secrets to decode the markings, you’ll be taught SIX impressive, hard-hitting effects that can be performed with your new-found knowledge.

What’s more, the effects taught can be performed individually or strung together to create a full 25 minute mentalism act, ideal for both close up performances and larger parlor settings. Some of the effects utilize the secret marks, but many don’t, equipping you with a multitude of methods to help make backtracking impossible for your audiences.

ESP cards have become synonymous with mentalism ever since they were first used in the 1930s to test for psychic phenomena. The undeniable allure of the five simple shapes have earned them a place in popular culture and now it’s your turn to do the alluring.

Join the ever-growing list of magicians and mentalists choosing Eclipse ESP cards over traditional alternatives.

My Thoughts:

Dee Christopher, well-respected mentalist from the UK, is ready to release ECLIPSE in a matter of about 72 hours.. as I write this on Nov. 26th, 2021.

Now that you’ve read the ad copy.. how does it play out in the real world? Well.. after spending several hours ‘playing’ with my cards, and watching the videos, here’s my thoughts.

ECLIPSE is a complete 25 card set of Zener cards. I’m sure you are familiar with the design… circle, addition sign, waves, square, and star.. made popular by Dr. JB Rhine during his ESP studies at Duke University in the 1930’s and 1940’s. They are the standard for ESP cards. The difference between regular Zener cards and Dee’s cards are.. Dee’s cards are marked on the back. Also included are two double-facers and one double-backer, plus one display card will all five symbols. These cards are important for your performances.

Made of a plastic coated stock, Eclipse cards are both made for use in difficult circumstances and for a pleasant appearance. Although not made for skillful handling, they handle just fine. As you’ll see in the tutorials, these cards are designed as props for your routine.

The tutorials are designed to give you, not just several effects, but a complete routine of mentalism effects that could easily run twenty to twenty five minutes. If you don’t currently have a mentalism set, this is the ideal purchase to get you up and running.

Several different effects are taught in the tutorials. All are prediction type effects and rely on either the markings on the back or a simple multiple outs method made simple with the special cards in addition to the marked cards.. As one of those guys who has trouble spotting marks on many marked decks, I am glad to say that’s NOT the case with ECLIPSE. The possibility of a spectator spotting the marks are very, very slim. I think if someone did notice the marks they would still not be aware of what they were seeing, as the marks are not actual numbers or symbols.. but only a positioning of an insignificant line.

Some of the effects taught require multiple outs, and may make it necessary for you to create a double envelope. Unlike traditional multiple out routines that have cards in various pockets or under card cases, Eclipse is designed and taught so the spectator will NOT come to that conclusion. Everything is very compact, and your audience is left unsuspecting. Complete instructions are included, and making your own envelope is a very simple procedure. There are other work-arounds, including a peek wallet, and this DIY is not a big deal.

This is a combination of the Ad Copy effect descriptions and my thoughts.

ESP Opener
A spectator freely names any ESP symbol and you reveal that you knew exactly which symbol they would choose ahead of time. Uses the multiple out method, which is very easy when using double-facers.. Dee’s handling of the envelopes makes this so easy. This is designed to be the first effect in your performance.

Sensor
A three-phase routine allowing you to “see” with your fingertips. Each phase increases in impossibility. With multiple methods in play, this powerful routine is impenetrable and everything is completely examinable at its conclusion. The patter for this is wide open. This may be my favorite routine, and makes full use of the marks.

Gambit ESP
Five face-down ESP cards are mixed on the tabletop by the spectator. The spectator drops an unread prediction on top of ANY card. The prediction is opened and is found to match the chosen symbol! Very strong effect.. and a good one to proceed Sensor.

Serial Reveal
You predict the unique serial number on a spectator’s borrowed banknote! This effect adds impressive variety to the act and gives you a perfect excuse to naturally use props (envelopes and pens) left on the table from earlier effects. I like serial number reveals, as they seem so impossible. Every bill is different.. and this one extends that premise.

Distance
The entire deck of ESP cards are shuffled by the spectator and washed around the tabletop. At great distance, the performer can reveal each and every card the spectator selects. This effect CANNOT be replicated with any other ESP deck on the market! No argument here. The markings make it possible. I wish I could show you the markings.. but that wouldn’t be nice. I may not be able to see the marks as well as some.. but even I can see the marks from about five or six feet away.

Everything’s taught by Dee Christopher and Lewis LeVal. The video instructions are good, the sound is good, and the overall method of instruction is easy to understand. There’s nothing complicated about ECLIPSE. There are NO sleights.. although there is a move of two to learn when utilizing a double envelope. There are five different video tutorials, representing about 68 minutes of instruction… Everything is online, and there is no need to download anything…

Introduction 1:13 min.
What you get 4:30
The marks 8:48
ESP opener 19:58
Gambit 33:32

I have no doubt many of you will create your own effects. A marked deck of Zener cards is a powerful weapon. If you are a semi-creative guy, ECLIPSE is a great effect to add to your repertoire. It’s well worth the effort and the price..

$40.00 .. From Murphy’s Magic and their Associates..
https://www.murphysmagic.com/Product.aspx?id=70529

Review by Rick Carruth

A New Magic Roadshow Just Published..

A New Magic Roadshow Just Published..

58 pages of nothing but magic. Download it for FREE….  Effects, Articles, Video Tutorials and Reviews.. plus NO ADs..

Available exclusively as a PDF..

Download Here

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

-The Fabulous 7 Pile Card Prediction: – Effect – Bob Durante

-Clock Work – Prediction and Forcing Tool – B.Durante

-2- Way Miracle – An Effect – Paul A. Lelekis

-Nine And Nine Again – An Effect – R.Carruth

-Double Vision – An impromptu effect – R.Carruth

The Waterwheel Double Lift & 3 Others – Tutorial – Jay Sankey

-Make It Real – Short Article – R.Carruth

-Predict the Future // Self-Working Card Trick – Video Tutorial..

-Mind Reading Trick With Any Paper Napkin – Video Tutorial

– Diagonal Palm Shift in-Depth Tutorial..

-22 Levels of Card Juggling: Easy to Complex |

– Unexpected Places to find Vintage Decks – Advice

-The Worst Magic Fails Ever – Post & Videos

-Paul Gordon’s 30 Minute Performance Video – Video

-COGNITO – Lloyd Barnes & Owen Garfield – A Review

-APOLLO – by Nicholas Lawrence & Worm – A Review

-Providence Playing Cards by The 1914 – A Review

-IRIS – Lewis Le Val and The 1914 – A Review

-4K Color Vision Box – by Magic Firm – A Review

-Get Money -Louis Frenchy & George Iglesias – A Review

-Martin Scorsese’s HUGO..

-Card Counting and Casino Scams From Movies | Vanity Fair –

-Magic Tricks from Movies & TV | Vanity Fair – Video

-Other Good Stuff from The Roadshow – Resources

-Sign Up For The Magic Roadshow..

-Our Facebook Info

-Years of Video Tutorials on Our Blogs…

IRIS – Lewis Le Val and The 1914 – A Review

IRIS – Lewis Le Val and The 1914 – A Review

IRIS – Lewis Le Val and The 1914 – A Review

The Ad Copy:

Forget palm reading!

The lines, marks and patterns in the eye’s iris can tell you more about a person’s life than any palm ever could!

(At least, that’s what you tell your participant.) Using the remarkable concept of eye gazing, IRIS allows you to divine a specific and important area of life your participant is simply THINKING of.

After giving an impressive psychic reading centered around this area of their life, you proceed to floor them further by revealing a personal piece of information you couldn’t possibly have known in advance: their star sign!

The methods are brilliantly devious. There are no cumbersome anagrams and absolutely nothing is ever written down!

In fact, the methods are hidden in plain sight, printed directly onto the two cards you receive. They are so well hidden, your participant could even forensically inspect the cards and STILL have no clue how it was done!

What’s more, IRIS utilizes just TWO cards that can be carried everywhere with you, taking up next-to-no room in your wallet or purse.

The IRIS video instructions also contain a wealth of knowledge and guidance for giving unique and individual personality readings from a world-renowned modern mystic.

Beginners in mentalism often shy away from cold readings for fear of misses. IRIS is the antidote to your reservations; it guarantees a bulletproof ending irrespective of how successful your personality reading may be. This built-in safety net allows you to sharpen your cold reading skills without fear of getting things wrong, because no matter what happens in the reading, you’ll always be able to hit them with something SOLID that’s impossible to explain.

IRIS is a special tool designed to facilitate and enhance your intimate personality readings. It will leave your participant with a deep, personal and meaningful memory that has the potential to leave them with profound new life perspectives.

My Thoughts:

IRIS, by Lewis Le Val, is both an effect AND a reading system.. that permits you to know the secret thoughts of you spectator/client. I have NO problem with the ad copy.. and consider it very accurate describing IRIS..

The system uses two IRIS cards, which contain all the info for the reading. Nothing is printed on the cards to give away the secret. You can determine the spectator’s star sign in a very inconspicuous way, one that doesn’t create suspicion, and you can know very personal information about the spectator.. information you shouldn’t otherwise know.

The IRIS cards are approx. the same size as a business card, and will fit easily in your wallet or shirt pocket. The spectator will casually read the cards and, in one instance, you will know WHAT the spectator is reading by what is printed on the BACK of the card. The spectator has no idea they are giving away the secret while trying to keep it secret.

In all fairness, a small bit of equivoque is used to gain the spectator’s star sign. The cards tell you, within 3, the sign.. and a simple equivoque is used for the final reveal. You can ask either one or two questions.. and know the sign.

During the second half of the reading, the spectator focuses on one area of their life that most interest them. One side of one card contains a list of twelve words; travel, education, strength, spirituality etc… and the spectator now focuses on one specific word. Lewis has assigned each area a number, and you can remember both the word and the number using a simple mnemonic frequently used in mentalism.

Using almost no mathematics, other than simple addition like 1+2+8, you will know the specific area of interest of the spectator by gazing into their iris.. or so they will believe. Knowing their field of interest in secret, you are prepared to offer a ‘reading’ before you reveal their area of interest.

“You are a student for life. You have never quit learning and consider learning almost as important to you as breathing itself. You are not totally happy with your education.. and want to study something, somewhere that will make you a better person.. both in life and the workplace.”

This might be something you’d say to someone after you’ve secretly determined their area of interest is education.

Approximately half of the instructions are geared toward the readings themselves.. and not technique. Lewis offers very detailed teachings about both the star reveal and the area of interest. It’s very possible to stick with the basic reveals until you are comfortable discussing the details of the reading.. details that will come through your experience.

Readings aren’t easy, unless you’re quick thinking or experienced. It’s a learned processed.. and IRIS is a great tool to get you started. Keep your readings simple in the beginning.. and expand as you gain experience. You have the perfect tool to encourage you to WANT to offer readings.. quick or otherwise.. and a very good instructor to set you on the right path.

IRIS includes 1 hour and 12 minutes of video instructions. The video and sound are good, and nothing is lacking. The first several minutes of the instructions are a full reading, conducted by Lewis, and give you a good indication of what to expect, and what is possible, with IRIS. Some might think thirty dollars is a little high for two cards.. but you are buying a well-though-out system of psychic reading. No problem here…

I will recommend IRIS to any of my friends and readers with an interest in mentalism or psychic readings. I like it a LOT..

$30.00 .. From Murphy’s Magic and their Associates..
https://www.murphysmagic.com/Product.aspx?id=70530

Review by Rick Carruth

COGNITO – Lloyd Barnes & Owen Garfield – A Review

COGNITO – Lloyd Barnes & Owen Garfield – A Review

COGNITO – Lloyd Barnes & Owen Garfield – A Review

This is the Ad Copy:

Magicians and mentalists have strived for centuries to crack the code of real mind reading.

COGNITO is the closest you will ever come to experiencing the incredible power of telepathy.

Imagine having someone think of ANYTHING (a playing card, star sign, word, movie, celebrity…whatever THEY want). They NEVER write it down, type it, point at it, click it, blink or even whisper…the thought ONLY exists inside their mind.

Yet with Cognito you know EXACTLY what they are thinking. There is even a way to do it with no peek at all.

Cognito is a revolutionary Magic App that combines a classic principle with genius new methods to know what spectators are thinking without seemingly doing anything.

The reason reviewers are calling this “The best app of the decade.” is because it has no competition. Cognito stands on its own as the most unique and brilliantly thought out Magic App ever created.

Simply put; Magic Apps shouldn’t get reactions like this.
Incredibly easy to perform
NO memory work or mental calculations
Perform in minutes
Works in ANY language
NO internet needed
Fools magicians
Multiple effects built in
Create your own effects with ease.
PLUS: A huge and active Facebook community (facebook name: cognitoapp) packed with ideas and new improbable routines.

Created by Lloyd Barnes & Owen Garfield and developed by Joshua Riley, Murphy’s Magic proudly presents… COGNITO

My Thoughts:

I don’t know where to start. COGNITO is described as a magic app. It is. But it is also so much more. This is the taking of an app and stretching it in every direction imaginable. This is the ultimate phone app…

I really wish I had more time to ‘play’ with COGNITO before writing a review. But.. time is a factor in new releases, and it’s important to get the basics out there.. and let the public decide. There’s a segment who want new effects first, before anyone else, and they are looking for info right now, as I write. And, if you have the right effect/app, they will exponentially launch the new product into a magical orbit in ways I could never accomplish. So.. here are my initial thoughts.

Everything is based on a classic methodology many of you would recognize. That said.. it’s like saying moon travel is based on the fact the Chinese launched fireworks into the air hundreds of years ago. Yes, everything went in the same direction.. up.. but the comparison isn’t fair.
COGNITO solves ‘problems’ in ways not imaginable thirty years ago, although it employs the same principles USED thirty years ago.

Imagine this…

A spectator THINKS of a card. They look at several pictures of cards on your phone and indicate whether their card is in those pictures. Without looking at your phone, you know the identity of the card they’re thinking of..

How? The app calculates the card.. sends YOU a text on your Apple watch or another phone disclosing the card.. and you are set for the reveal. What if the app sends a text to a confederate.. and they CALL to reveal the card.? Sort of like ‘The Wizard’ on steroids.

This isn’t the primary effect. This is one of many effects. I wanted to bring this one to light to show the broad range of effects capable with this app. There’s multiple ways of accomplishing each reveal so the performer can personalize the app to his or her style. And… you can literally personalize the app with your OWN designs, which are easily implemented into the existing effects.

I could go on and on.. but this review would become WAY to long to keep your interest. Aside from an hour and twenty plus minute tutorial designed to get you up to speed.. from absolute beginner.. to a comfortable performer. A very active Facebook group answers any questions you have not covered in the tutorial.. plus.. offers many different effects developed by enthusiastic owners.. and there are many. In fact, some of the top performers in the world are calling COGNITO a true game-changer and the top magic app of all time.

The tutorial covers a large list of effects and information. I have included the list here to give you a good overview..

Perform On Yourself- Easy ‘first effect’ to get you started.
Overview- What to expect.
How Cognito Knows- Detailed explanation of the classic technology.
The Split Principle- A swiping technique that serves as a base principle.
The Time Principle- A second technique, providing additional twists.
Proximity Input- Another input method making things very ‘personal’.
Watch & Confederate- Apple watch and confederate suggestions.
How To Exit- Instructions for getting out an effect.
Presets Explained- Self explanatory.
Peekless Peeking- A super mentalism tool.
Create Your Own Routines- Copy and paste to achieve personalization.
Scripts & Reasonings-Digging deeper into the working
Tips & Tricks- A must read..
Power-
On A Spectators Phone- Additional methodology.
Facebook Group- As mentioned.. a super group of performers
Credits-

There are effects involving playing cards, horoscopes, dates, words, states and Marvel movies included. As I mentioned, adding new effects is a simple task. I promise.. once you purchase COGNITO, your mind will race at all the possibilities. I can’t understand pricing this at $29.95, seriously, considering the strength and versatility. There’s zero additional cost… nothing else to ‘unlock’ or purchase to get to the good features.

I hope I’ve provide enough info to spur your interest. There’s SO much more.. and I have never reviewed one product with this many features.
I’m sure you won’t be surprised when I recommend COGNITO to all my friends and readers. Get it.

$29.95 .. From Murphy’s Magic and their Associates..

https://www.murphysmagic.com/product.aspx?id=70974

Review by Rick Carruth