Q. Can a card trick really change a person’s life?
A. Yes! A card trick changed my life.
I Was Tricked Into It
I was seven years old and I knew, at that moment, what I wanted to do. Some people go their entire lives without finding their passion. I’ve devoted my life to following my passion and empowering others to discover theirs. It was a simple piece of magic, taught to me by Linda and Susan Van Etten. They were the same age as me, but somehow, they learned this amazing card mystery… it was called The Kings of Poker.
Kings of Poker had a story and everything. These two little seven-year-old girls told me a story I never forgot. I still perform it these days, knowing the impact it can have. If you’re curious, you can learn more about it here:
https://shop.magicalwisdom.com/l/street-magic/kings-of-poker
One Card Trick Can Change A Life!
Kings of Poker was the first card trick I remember, and I think it’s because it had a good story. That’s what made it memorable, and easy for me to practice. The trick itself is super easy to perform, self-working actually, and highly entertaining. Sixty years later, I’m still performing Kings of Poker. Sixty years later, I’m still working on pieces of magic I learned when I first started.
Powerful Impressions
This month at Wonderground, I am going to perform, for the very first time, two pieces of magic I’ve been working on for nearly sixty years. It’s about time I bring them to the stage. It’s never too late!
First Impressions
I encourage my students to go back to those very first powerful magic impressions they experience, and to recall them and to learn and perform those important pieces of magic that transformed their lives. Mat Franco actually shares the story about the first time he experienced card manipulation… it was me on the NBC television show World’s Greatest Magic!
A True Story
Each night Mat performs at his hit show, Magic Reinvented Nightly. Mat tells the story of the first time he saw a magician pull cards out of the air. That moment changed his life–one simple card routine… I am proud to say that that magician was me, and I am part of Mat’s story–the story he tells each night at the LINQ hotel here in Vegas. It’s a true story, and I’m proud to be a part of that story. The chain of magic continues, and the secrets of magic are passed down from teacher to student.
The Quest for Secrets
Magicians are secret-collectors. They are constantly looking for “the new thing.” This has led to an endless search for the latest and greatest, and often magicians are overwhelmed with the amount of literature, products, and distractions in the marketplace, chasing what Eugene Burger called “the tyranny of the new.” I’ve had good teachers, Eugene being the most important one of all. He told me, “The real secrets of magic are not in books or videos. They cannot even be purchased in a magic shop. The real secrets of magic are handed down from teacher to student… in whispers!” I’ve decided not to publish many of my secrets. I prefer to pass them on to my personal students, one at a time, or in very small groups. We meet Monday night at 7pm Pacific time, and we’ll see you in the classroom.
https://shop.magicalwisdom.com/m/magic-mystery-school
Keep inspired, my friends!
Jeff and Abigail
Dear friends in magic,
This month we offer a Museletter from Magic & Mystery School Instructor Daryl Rogers.
In June of 1897, newspapers across America carried alarming reports from London that Mark Twain was gravely ill, destitute, and near death. The stories painted a bleak picture of the beloved author, claiming that his health had failed, his brilliant mind had faded, and that the world had perhaps seen the last of his genius.
When a reporter finally reached Twain in London, he was somewhere between amused and annoyed. The stories, he explained, were greatly exaggerated. Twain was very much alive.
I can’t help but think of that story whenever the conversation turns to the future of magic clubs. Spend enough time around magicians and you’ll eventually hear someone declare that the magic clubs are dying. Membership is shrinking. Meetings are smaller. The average age keeps climbing. Young people don’t seem interested anymore. It’s an easy conclusion to reach, and on the surface, the evidence appears convincing.
But I wonder if we’re asking the wrong questions. Perhaps these familiar concerns are symptoms rather than causes. Before we write the obituary for organizations like the I.B.M. and the S.A.M., it might be worth taking a closer look at what we’re actually seeing. The future of magic clubs may not be nearly as bleak as we imagine – but understanding why requires us to separate perception from reality.
Perception: Magic Clubs Were Once Bigger
Many members look back fondly on the “good old days” when club meetings filled banquet rooms, conventions drew hundreds of attendees, and every city seemed to have an active Ring or Assembly. Compared to those memories, today’s attendance can feel discouraging. It’s tempting to assume that fewer members automatically means a weaker organization.
The reality is more complicated. Organizations like the I.B.M. and the S.A.M. were founded during an era when fraternal organizations flourished. Their structure reflected groups such as the Masons, Elks, and Rotary Clubs, where membership was made up primarily of established professionals and successful businesspeople. Joining a club was part of civic and professional life.
Society has changed dramatically since then. People have more demands on their time, more entertainment options, and more ways to connect than ever before. Measuring today’s clubs against the social norms of a century ago isn’t necessarily a fair comparison. The question isn’t whether clubs are as large as they once were; it’s whether they continue to provide value to the people who belong to them.
Perception: Our Members Are Getting Older
Walk into many club meetings and you’ll notice plenty of gray hair. It’s easy to conclude that the next generation simply isn’t replacing those who came before. If the average age continues to rise, some fear the clubs will simply fade away.
But perhaps that’s exactly what we should expect. Many magicians discover the art as children, then set it aside while careers, marriages, mortgages, and raising families take center stage. Magic becomes a treasured memory rather than an active pursuit. Years later, when life begins to slow down and disposable income and free time return, so do many of those same people. They dust off the props they packed away decades earlier and rediscover the wonder that first captivated them. Older members are not necessarily evidence of decline, they are often evidence of magic’s remarkable ability to call people home!
Perception: Young People Aren’t Interested in Magic
Perhaps the greatest concern is that younger generations simply don’t care about magic. If they aren’t showing up at club meetings, the assumption is that they must have moved on to other interests.
I don’t believe that’s true. In fact, I think there are as many young people fascinated by magic today as there have ever been. They watch performances online, learn from YouTube, buy effects from online dealers, attend conventions, and connect with magicians through social media. Their interest hasn’t disappeared, it has simply migrated. The challenge isn’t convincing young people to love magic. They already do. The challenge is helping traditional organizations become relevant to the ways this generation discovers, learns, and shares the art.
Looking Ahead
None of this means our clubs can afford to become complacent. Every organization should continually ask how it can better serve its members and welcome new ones. Change is inevitable, and successful clubs will be those willing to evolve while remaining true to their purpose.
But I remain optimistic. Magic has survived wars, depressions, changing technologies, and dramatic shifts in culture. It has adapted from vaudeville to television, from books to streaming video, from lecture halls to Zoom. Through it all, one thing has remained constant: people are still drawn to mystery, friendship, and the joy of sharing the impossible.
Perhaps the future of our clubs doesn’t depend on turning back the clock. Perhaps it depends on recognizing that the love of magic is still very much alive, it simply looks different than it did before. If we embrace that reality while continuing to welcome, mentor, and inspire one another, I believe the best chapters in the story of the I.B.M. and the S.A.M. are still waiting to be written.
Daryl Rogers
Green Bay, Wisconsin
September 2026
Greetings friends!
We’re writing to you from the historic Mission Inn in Riverside, California, where we are spending our 25th honeymoon in the palatial presidential suite. It’s more like something out of Game of Thrones, complete with Gothic arches and castle turrets–really a fairy tale castle. Take a look at the video Abigail made.
Secrets of a Magical Marriage
Begin by marrying your best friend.
Then, spend time cultivating your connection through communication, creativity and compassion. When we got married, way back in 2001, we knew that more than half of all marriages end in divorce, and we also knew we didn’t want that to happen to us. So, we decided to be proactive, seeking tools, information, and resources, about how to grow the happiest, healthiest marriage possible.
Some of what works for us includes:
We always ask couples who have been together longer than we have what “their secret” is for maintaining a healthy, happy marriage. The answers range from the hilarious “I just do what she tells me”, to the helpful “Keep your sense of humor,” “Accept them as they are and allow them to become who they become,” to my grandmother Muriel’s “Just keep loving him and loving him and loving him and loving him.”
How to Love a Magician is the name of a talk Abigail did for the Magic & Meaning Conference, which is coming up again in just a few weeks, online with the Magic & Mystery School.
Here, Abigail shares some of her secrets for success in relationships.
We look forward to seeing you either live in Las Vegas, or online in the classroom, soon!
If you’re not already a member, you can join us here for less than a dollar a week! Please support our magical mission.
Yours in love,
Abigail & Jeff
And now, a word from our Director of Communications, Chris Hester
Dear Friends in Magic,
In this month’s Museletter, Mystery School member Lisa Krol explores an essential element of magical performance that is often overlooked. While magicians dedicate countless hours to mastering technique and perfecting presentation, there is another instrument at our disposal that deserves just as much attention.
Lisa invites us to consider how we use this powerful tool and the role it plays in creating memorable moments of magic.
The Voice
Do you dream of the one effect that will create jaw dropping reactions? Do you have drawers full of purchased effects that did not deliver? I am guilty on both counts, and I bet you are too. I promise I am not selling anything! Instead, I want to bring your attention to something that will improve your performances and it will not cost you a dime or take up drawer space!
I recently produced a recorded video show. Not a magic show that was recorded, but a magic show designed and written as a video. No easy task when magic relies on the participation of spectators either directly or in the implied randomness that anyone could be asked to assist. It is no accident that televised magic shows use a live audience, and social media posts are either short one trick ponies or filmed in the street with random passersby.
For various reasons, these were not options for me, so I put the viewing audience at the table directly across from me and spoke to them as if they were sitting there for 35 minutes. I quickly discovered how much harder it was to be engaging without the audience in the room. No feedback, no heads nodding, no eyes widening. All those cues we use when we perform to a live person were missing, and I had to make up for it. As a result, I poured heart and soul into the delivery – in other words my voice.
That’s it – the voice.
So simple but such an impact!
I realized that I needed to become a much more engaging storyteller to capture and hold the viewer’s attention and I would need to replicate the synergy of a group who lead each other in gasps and applause. To address these factors, I built in dramatic pauses. Not just pauses but a measured length of silence.
“Count to 3 here” or “5 count here.”
I worked on tone. While most of the show was quite dark and serious, there needed to be some tension relief. Noting which lines should be said with a smile or wink lightened the delivery. Scripting a pause immediately afterwards allowed for laughter even if I could not hear it. Volume was carefully noted. Dropping my volume on those moments where live spectators tend to lean in brought the viewers forward in their seats.
Speed was another factor. Where a live spectator might get excited or jump to conclusions in the action, I increased the speed of my own speech to mirror what should be happening in their heads.
The results were impressive. The video show was engaging. People leaned in. Viewers even clapped sitting in their living rooms. I know this because they told me! An odd comment coming from someone I know well was, “You didn’t sound like you at all. It was like watching someone else entirely.” Given, I was performing as a medium speaking to ghosts, I took it as high praise with my friend separating her relationship with me to become immersed in the show.
Since the video, I’ve given a lot more attention to my voice and what I’m doing with it. The pauses and volume adjustments are not accidental, they are planned with purpose, and the delivery has improved dramatically.
That’s it! One simple idea and it uses what you already have. Think about your favorite effect. Even if you don’t script your performances, you probably say roughly the same thing every time. Where you want people to lean in, drop your voice and make them strain just a little to hear. Slow down on the parts that are key, especially if there is process involved. And where the magical moment is happening, speed up and get a bit louder.
Record yourself and try it a few different ways, then decide what works best for your vision and style. Think of your voice as a supporting character to the action and use it well!