What we plant in the soil of contemplation, we shall reap in the harvest of action.
–Meister Eckhart
Dear Friends:
October has arrived, and harvest time is near! For those of us in love with the fine art of magic and magical performance, that means many things. One of those, of course, is that the holiday season, with all its parties and other celebrations is coming on fast—and that means many opportunities to perform. It also means we are coming up on International Magic Week, that final week of the month leading up to Halloween, and a great time to generate publicity for the art, and for yourself as a magician!
If you think in terms of a year, plant a seed; if in terms of ten years, plant trees; if in terms of 100 years, teach the people.
–Confucius
Those of us at The McBride Magic & Mystery School look forward to October each year, because some of our favorite events of the year take place then. Jeff and Mario Morris conduct their annual “Focus on Street Magic†class from Oct. 9-11. Always a popular event, the class not only provides students with a safe space, guidance, and lots of real “insider knowledge†on how to succeed as a busker, but also takes them out onto the streets of Las Vegas. Some students even wind up earning more with their newfound knowledge while they are in Las Vegas than it costs them to be here!
The second big event of the month is our annual visit from Ross Johnson, for our “Master Class on Mentalism.†The class is, once again, sold out, and I can certainly see why. This year Ross has agreed to share some of his closely held secrets learned from the great Al Koran. Always an inspiring teacher, this is a very special gift made by one of our true living masters, and those attending are in for an exciting few days!
Finally, we have our annual “Magic & Meaning Conference.†For myself, at least, this is an annual “homecoming†event where so many of our magical community gather, and share their wide variety of experiences and insights from over the past year. Many of you who have attended have been coming to the conference for many, many years, and it’s always a joy to see you again! Our special guest this year is Max Maven, who was last a special guest for us back in the early 1990’s at one of the first Mystery School retreats, WAY back when we were still at our first home, the Ananda Ashram in upstate New York. Some of those who attended that session will again be with us this year!
As we approach our 25th year of offering experiential magical learning events, I feel we can celebrate our own special harvest; all of you who make up our ever-growing community. We are indeed thankful for all of you—your wisdom, support and continuing participation in our efforts! Whether you’ve attended one of our classes or other events, helped us by sponsoring “McBride Magic Experience†outreach events, watched our Monday Night Mystery School web-casts, or just read this Muselettler—you’re one of our inside champions, and we THANK YOU!