PSI-CHI by Bruce Bernstein
> PSI-CHI:
The concepts of auras and differing “energies” are offered up as an interesting
field of investigation.
You recall that you first became interested
about such things when reading a sci-fi short story many years ago. In the
course of the story, a person lands on a strange world, where the inhabitants
would mentally create different colored shapes, allowing them to communicate
and manipulate their environment.
“For years I’ve tried to develop a
technique that might somehow make such an amazing talent a reality. After
decades of thought and experimentation, I believe I may have just ‘opened the
door’ to just such a demonstration. Of course, I haven’t been able to develop
the ability to actually affect physical matter, but I think I may be well on
the road to doing so. In fact, I’ve found, that on a basic level, most people
have an ability to detect and interpret such energy, if they can just keep an open
mind and trust their instincts.”
After the scene has been set and interest
garnered, an experiment is proposed to demonstrate this latent ability and
recreate a scene from that very sci-fi story.
A subject is selected to participate, with
just one request…that she keeps an open mind during the experiment and will
trust her instincts throughout.
You pick up a blank business card (or index
card) and are seen to be writing something on it, which is then placed writing
side down on the table.
You then are seen to be concentrating on an
empty spot on the table, directly in front of you.
“A small cloud, or fog of energy is
starting to form in front of us. At first you may not get a sensation of color,
but slowly you will be able to sense its color on a subconscious, if not a
conscious, level.”
“Do you sense it yet? What color did the
energy take on?”
She answers, “Green.”
You smile as if pleased with her response
and then pick up a second blank card, upon which you are seen to be secretly
writing. You place that card, face down, on top of the first card.
You hold both your hands about 12-18 inches
apart, as if attempting to gather and compress the green cloud of energy.
“And now, the green energy is congealing
into a simple shape, something like a circle, triangle, or square. Let me know
when you can sense the shape that is forming.”
She replies, “A Square.”
You smile again and, after a brief recap of
what just happened, you propose to try it again.
You take another blank card and secretly
write something on it.
“Now imagine another energy cloud
forming…and when you sense its color, let me know.”
She responds, “Yellow.”
With a look of growing satisfaction, you
take a fourth blank card and again, write something upon it without letting
anyone see what you’ve written. And, as the first time, you hold your hands
apart as you are mentally attempting to give the energy form.
“And what shape is it forming into?”
She answers, “A Triangle.”
“You’re doing great! Would you like to try
something a bit more difficult?” You are seen to take four cards…grouped into
two groups of two.
You explain that you are writing down
colors and shapes on the two groups of cards, but while concealing what info is
on each particular card. You then place them on top of the previous four cards
from the first two phases.
You state that this time you want to try
two at the same time. “I wrote down items we haven’t tried yet…the colors RED
and BLUE and the shapes of a STAR and a CIRCLE.”
With both of your hands held palms up,
about shoulder width apart, you ask the person to imagine a cloud of RED energy
on your left hand…and a cloud of BLUE energy on your right.
Next you request she imagine one of the
clouds forming into the shape of a STAR and the other cloud into the shape of a
CIRCLE and then tell everyone the colored shapes she perceived. (For example,
she receives a RED STAR and a BLUE CIRCLE.)
You pick up the face down cards. Then you
turn over the two groups of the two finale cards and it’s seen they match the
person’s choices.
Now, with a sense of a miracle
accomplished, you next turn over the other four cards, the first two cards in
one pair and the second two next to them, showing that she received every
color/shape combination you transmitted to her successfully!
On the first group of two cards, the first
has writing on it, “You will see the color green” and second card says, “And it
will form into a square.” (Depending what you write on, you can vary this. If a
small business card, I just print, for example, GREEN and then print SQUARE. If
an index card or larger, you can add appropriate text as above, or other
variants explained later.)
On the second group of two cards, the first
has writing on it, “You will sense the color yellow.” The second card reads,
“And it will form into a triangle.”
Please keep in mind, that PSI-CHI offers a
TOTALLY FREE choice of colors and shapes. Yes, totally! Unlike all the previous
approaches of which I am familiar, you can let the spectator have a totally
free choice on each and every selection...if the color lavender and a hexagon
are chosen, you are covered!
Also, keep in mind PSI-CHI is totally
impromptu and can employ a vast variety of borrowed material, since after all,
all one needs is a writing utensil and some type of opaque paper or cards to
write on.
As you work through them, you’ll see that
the concepts in PSI-CHI can be used in an almost unlimited style of effects,
making it easily customized to mystery workers of all types.
> WRITTEN READINGS:
The psychic sits at a small table in front of an intimate gathering of those
curious about having a reading and even, perhaps, a glimpse into the future.
She has a stack of index cards on the table, along with a writing implement.
The psychic is seen to concentrate briefly,
after which she takes a blank index card and is seen to be writing something,
but which she keeps hidden, so no one could see what has been jotted down. The
card is placed, writing side down, off to the side.
She asks who would like to go first. (Or
someone could be asked to pick a person, etc. This is indeed a free choice.)
The psychic briefly engages the brave soul,
by asking his name and engaging in some other small talk. (And introduces her
to the gathering, if they aren’t familiar with each other.)
She now picks up a second blank card and is
seen to be secretly writing on it. It is then placed off to the side, on top of
the first card.
After starting to give a brief character
reading to the volunteer, she now requests that he asks a question he has about
a concern or worry in his life…either a personal situation, or perhaps
regarding someone else. For example, “an issue involving health, work, or
perhaps family or finances…”)
The person answers. The psychic smiles
knowingly, and then offers some advice and predictions about some possible
future happenings, related to that person and his question.
This is repeated a few more times. The
cards are then turned over. Each pair of cards is seen to name, or describe
something about each person, before they were called on or picked (again, this
is incredibly flexible), as well as correctly addressing the issue about which
the person was concerned!
No questions need be stolen or bluffed
about in the way the Old-School versions were. In fact, the finale technique in
WRITTEN READIINGS is actually a strong finish and a fitting end to a session of
readings.
And again, don’t forget about the fact, the
sitters leave with the cards you filled out...on which, I would assume you have
your contact information, so when they show others or want to have you read for
them again, they’ll know how to easily find you.
> P-C PREDICTIONS:
A table and four chairs are seen onstage. Five people are invited onstage to
participate in an experiment in Precognition. Four of them are asked to be
seated on the chairs, which are lined in a row onstage. The remaining person is
to help in a selection process.
Four symbol cards are introduced, mixed and
handed to the fifth person, who will be assisting you.
You are then seen to be writing something
on a blank card, which you place writing side down on the table. You then ask
the assistant to pick one of the four people. You ask the chosen person to
introduce himself to the gathering.
You are seen to be jotting something on a
second index card, which you place on top of the first. You then request that
the symbol cards be handed to the chosen person, so he may select one of the
symbol cards at random. It is then to be displayed for all to see. This entire
procedure is repeated once again, but this time leaving out the person already
called upon and his chosen symbol.
Then, with only two people and two symbol
cards left, the two remaining cards are mixed. Each person is to take one,
without letting anyone see who has which symbol. As this is happening, you
explain that you’ll try something even more difficult...predicting two people’s
selections simultaneously. You are seen to be filling out two sets of two
cards, which you place en-masse on the previous four.
You ask the last two to reveal their
symbols. You then turn over the prediction cards you had filled out. It is seen
that you’ve predicted the order of the people picked by your assistant, and the
symbols each of them freely selected.
Here the techniques of PSI-CHI are presented in a classic presentation, with a few extra touches that make it stand out from other similar effects.
<>
> (the end of) WILL POWER:
A penny, nickel, dime, and quarter are placed in a line in front of the
spectator.
Taking an index card from a bunch of blank
ones, you are seen to be secretly writing something on it, which you then place
writing side down on the table.
You ask the person to slowly move their
finger over the tops of all the coins and, when the spirit moves him, let it
drop onto one of the coins. (For example, let’s say it’s the nickel.)
“Now that was ‘deliberate choice’...now
let’s try ‘random occurrence.’ Pick up the nickel, shake it between your cupped
hands and then let it fall to the table.” It lands heads-up.
You ask the person to read what you wrote
on the index card.
“You will end up with a heads-up nickel.”
Now that’s a direct and powerful climax,
isn’t it?
Although originally designed as a new
finish for my effect Will Power, this effect can certainly stand on its own as
a powerful close-up presentation.
<>
Cost
of PSI-CHI is $75 USD and will be emailed as a PDF attachment.
If a hard copy is also desired, I am offering a specially printed and autographed spiral bound version with an Art Cover for an additional $25 USD and shipping.
I accept PayPal at my email address – BruceMBernstein@gmail.com