Dear Friends in Magic,
Wonder is one of the most powerful tools a magician can create, but where does that feeling really come from? Is it the method, the presentation, or something deeper in the human experience? This week, mentalist, anthropologist, and storyteller Paul Draper explores the deeper roots of mystery itself. Drawing from anthropology, performance, and years of experience in front of audiences around the world, Paul examines why magic resonates so strongly with people across cultures and generations.
The Anthropology of Wonder: What Magicians Can Learn from Culture, Mystery, and the Human Mind
By Paul Draper
Magic is one of the oldest human arts. Long before there were theaters, television specials, or viral clips online, there were people standing before a small circle of others creating moments that defied expectations. A bone moved without touch. A prediction came true. A story revealed a hidden truth. In every culture on Earth, people have created experiences that evoke surprise, mystery, and awe.
As an anthropologist and a mentalist, I often find myself returning to a simple question:
Why does magic work on people at such a deep level? Not just mechanically, not just psychologically, but humanly. Anthropology has given me a framework that shapes the way I think about audiences and performance. Across cultures and throughout history, human beings are constantly seeking three things: Membership, Order, and Meaning.
These elements appear everywhere in human life. They shape religion, politics, art, and storytelling. And when we look closely, we discover they are also the invisible structure beneath the art of magic. When we perform magic, we are not simply demonstrating tricks–we are creating a temporary world where these three elements come alive.
Membership: The Circle of Wonder
Every magical experience begins with membership. Think about the difference between watching a trick on a phone and sitting in a small room with a magician. The moment we gather together, something changes. The audience becomes part of a shared experience. The performer invites them into a circle of wonder.
This is one reason I love performing in intimate spaces like the Close-Up Gallery at the Magic Castle. With only a couple of dozen guests in the room, something remarkable happens. The audience stops being a collection of strangers, and becomes a small community. They laugh together, react together, and they become witnesses to the same impossible events.
Anthropologists sometimes call this communitas — a shared emotional experience that bonds people together. Magicians create communitas every time we gather people around mystery. And in a world where many people feel increasingly isolated or disconnected, that simple act has tremendous value.
Order: Crossing the Threshold
Magic may appear chaotic, but it is built on a deep sense of order. Audiences arrive with expectations about how the world works. Cards remain where they are placed. Thoughts stay private. Objects do not vanish. Cause leads to effect. The magician introduces a disruption to that order.
A prediction reveals something that should be unknowable. A volunteer finds their thoughts anticipated before they are spoken. A borrowed object behaves in ways that contradict everything we know about physical reality. For a moment, the structure of the world bends, but the deeper transformation is not simply disorder–it is repositioning.
In anthropology, crossing a threshold matters. When we move from one state of experience to another, our position within the structure of society and reality changes. The person who has not experienced the mystery occupies one place. The person who has witnessed the impossible occupies another.
During a magical performance the audience crosses that threshold. They move from being observers of ordinary reality to participants in something extraordinary. They have now experienced something others have not. In that moment, the order of their experience shifts. They now belong to the group that knows–not the secret of the trick, but the experience of the mystery. And, once someone has crossed that threshold, the world never looks quite the same again.
Meaning: Why Wonder Matters
Of the three elements, meaning may be the most important. If magic is only about fooling people, it becomes a puzzle. But if magic connects to meaning, it becomes something deeper.
Some of the most powerful magical experiences I have witnessed had very little to do with technical complexity. Instead, they carried emotional or philosophical weight. A simple object becomes a symbol of memory, a prediction becomes a metaphor for destiny, or a mystery becomes a reminder that the world still contains the unknown.
In my own work, I often combine mentalism with storytelling about psychology, anthropology, and human perception. When people realize how easily the mind can be influenced or misdirected, they begin to understand something important about themselves. Magic becomes a mirror.
Magic in the Modern World
We live in an age where information is instantly accessible and skepticism is often celebrated. Yet paradoxically, people seem more hungry for wonder than ever.
Over the past year I have had the privilege of sharing this idea in many different settings. I recently spoke and performed at the Blackpool Magic Convention, where thousands of magicians from around the world gather to celebrate the art. Shortly afterward I had the opportunity to lecture at the University of Cambridge, discussing social engineering, perception, and the psychology of deception with students and faculty in the computer science department.
The contexts were very different. One room filled with magicians, another filled with cybersecurity researchers. But, the reaction was the same. People leaned forward. They laughed.
They asked questions, and afterward many said some version of the same thing–that they had not felt that sense of wonder in a long time.
In the coming months I will continue exploring these ideas in a lecture and performance at the Portland Magic Jam, and at the Irish Hypnotherapy Conference. Different audiences, different cultures, but the same human response to mystery. Wonder, it turns out, travels very well.
A New Book About Mystery
On Second Thought… Mentalism, Meaning, and Performance
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/pauldraperbook/on-second-thought-mentalism-meaning-and-performance.
These experiences are part of what inspired my newest project, a book exploring mentalism, psychology, and the deeper art of creating astonishment. Rather than simply teaching techniques, the book explores how performers can combine psychology, storytelling, anthropology, and theatrical structure to create experiences that resonate long after the performance ends. It looks at mentalism not just as demonstrations of mind reading, but as a way to explore the mysteries of human perception and belief.
The response from the magic community has been extraordinary. The Kickstarter campaign quickly surpassed its goal, and nearly three hundred supporters stepped forward to help bring the book into existence. Even though the campaign has technically closed, the special edition is still available through Kickstarter, and magicians can still join the group of backers who will receive the first printing.
If you enjoy exploring the deeper ideas behind magic, not just methods, but why mystery matters, I believe you will find something in these pages worth studying, performing, and thinking about. On Second Thought… Mentalism, Meaning, and Performance by Paul Draper
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/pauldraperbook/on-second-thought-mentalism-meaning-and-performance.
Keeping the Flame of Mystery Alive
One of the great gifts Jeff McBride and the Magic & Mystery School have given our community is the reminder that magic is not merely entertainment, it is a living tradition. It is a way of connecting people to creativity, imagination, and the unknown. Every time we perform, teach, or share a magical moment, we participate in that tradition. We invite someone to cross a threshold and experience the world in a new way.
And perhaps that is the real secret of magic–not the method, not the move, but the moment when someone leans forward, eyes wide, and remembers that the universe still contains mysteries waiting to be explored.
Paul Draper
https://PaulDraper.com
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_W._Draper
When did you fall in love with magic?
My wife, Abigail, asked this question of me with a group of friends when we were sitting at a table in our home here in Vegas. What we discovered is that many of us have the same story about how magic came into our lives, and also tragically, how Magic sometimes is abandoned only to be rediscovered late in life. Let me explain.
Many magicians discover magic early in life. A ball and vase, a Svengali deck, or a beginner’s book that opens the door to wonder. When we are young, we dream of becoming a magician. But, then something strange happens. Many of us lose the magic because we have been convinced that we need a “real job” to pay the bills instead of following our passion.
Did “Real Life” Get in the Way of Your Passion of Magic?
When we grow up, life gets a little bit too real, with school, careers, family, money, and responsibilities. Your magic stepped quietly into the background. But magic is patient…very patient.
You worked hard your whole life. Magic was always around, but never in the forefront. There were always more important things to do. But now, many years later, you’ve decided to come back to your magic.
Now It is Time for You and Your Magic!
Magic is not only about collecting tricks. It is about your personal expression, and sharing the magic you love with people that love you back. You may want to share your magic with friends and family, perhaps local charities, or maybe even dream of performing events and parties, traveling the world and sharing magic.
This Dream Can Now Be Your Reality
I have created a Mentorship Program for magicians entering “act three” of life who are ready to return to magic with purpose. I will work with you personally and also bring together a small circle of like-minded magicians who are rebooting their magic journey. Together, we explore how to take our life’s experience and pour that into the magic we love. We will learn ways to take all that magic and life experience we’ve collected, and actually put it into a show that we can share with our friends, family, and communities.
The program includes private mentorship with me, a small group that meets periodically on Zoom, and a private Facebook community where mentorship students can share ideas, performances, and feedback in a supportive environment. If magic has called you back and you are ready to take the next step, this program was created for you. To find out more, take a look here – https://shop.magicalwisdom.com/events
For details and mentorship information, contact Abigail McBride at abigail@mcbridemagic.com,
or give her a call at (702) 450-0021 and just say, “Hello Abigail, I’m interested in rebooting my magic career!”
Dear Friends in Magic,
In this month’s Museletter, Mystery School Instructor and marketing expert Jason Porter reflects on something more elusive than method and more valuable than applause. Known for helping performers and business owners clarify their message and deepen their impact, Jason turns his focus here to the most precious commodity in modern life–attention. In a world that pulls at us from every direction, what does it mean to truly hold focus and to be worthy of it? This reflection invites us to consider attention not as something we demand, but as something we cultivate.
Attention in the Age of Distraction
A simple scene. A man dressed in an upscale Victorian Steampunk suit crosses the stage, bouncing a simple rubber ball. It’s how every performance starts. Once I start that walk, the audience falls to silence. It doesn’t matter if it’s a theater, a school show, or a Farmers Market. Conversations die down–there is no need for parents to hush their kids. They stop and stare. It sounds simple, but it’s the beginning of a sacred contract. The audience has given me their attention, and I am promising them I won’t waste it.
There was a time when a magician could command attention simply by stepping into a room. There were no glowing screens, no notifications, no competing algorithms–just candlelight, a circle of faces, and a story about to begin. Today, attention is no longer assumed, it is contested. We not only perform in an age of distraction, but now we perform in an age of fractured awareness, and yet, magic remains. This means something important is still true. It means that attention is not dead, it is simply rare, and rare things are precious.
Attention as Currency
Magicians understand something that the modern world often forgets. It forgets that attention is not passive. It is an act of generosity. When a spectator looks at your hands, they are giving you something. When they lean forward, when they silence their phone, when they suspend disbelief, they are investing.
Sometimes In performance, we say we “take” attention. But the best performers do not take it, they earn it. In a distracted world, attention has become the most valuable currency. We are not talking followers, or views or clicks. We are talking about true, focused, uninterrupted attention. Magic, at its highest level, is the art of shaping it.
The Discipline Behind the Mystery
To the outside world, magic appears spontaneous. From the inside, we magicians know that it is structured devotion. A double lift repeated thousands of times, a pause in the routine measured to the fraction of a breath, or a script refined until every word earns its place. How many hours spent just walking and bouncing a ball so it is worthy of attention? We train our hands, but more importantly, we train our focus. Presence is not charisma–it is concentration. It is the ability to be so fully engaged in the moment that the audience feels pulled into the orbit around you. This is not mystical, it is practiced. When you rehearse without pausing to check your phone, you are strengthening attention. When you perform one routine slowly instead of rushing through five, you are strengthening attention. When you look a spectator in the eyes and truly wait for their reaction instead of moving on to the next phase, it is powerful, and you are strengthening attention. Attention, like sleight of hand, improves through repetition.
The Contract Between Performer and Audience
Something sacred happens in a live performance. I spoke of it earlier–the silent agreement. “I will give you my attention,” says the audience. “I will not waste it,” says the magician. If you break that contract, you rush, ramble, over-prove, then the spell weakens. If you honor it, then even a simple effect becomes profound.
I see it all the time in marketing. Business owners chasing reach. They want more eyeballs, more views, more clicks. But, good marketers and magicians both know the truth. It’s not about how many eyes are on you, but how focused those eyes are. A single fully present spectator is worth more than a hundred distracted ones. The same is true in leadership, in teaching, and in conversation. Attention is sacred.
The Illusion of Multitasking
We live in a culture that celebrates divided focus, but divided focus produces shallow experience. Magic cannot survive in shallow water. To create astonishment, we must deepen the moment, and that depth begins with us. If the magician is mentally elsewhere like thinking about the next move, the next gig, or the next post, then the audience feels it. We cannot ask an audience to be present if we are not, and so the craft of magic becomes something more than technical. It becomes training in awareness.
Practicing Attention Offstage
The stage is not where presence begins but it is where it is revealed. Presence is built in quiet practice sessions, in slow script work, and in conversations where we listen longer than we speak. It is built when we resist the urge to constantly perform, and instead allow ourselves to observe. The greatest compliment I have ever received as a performer was not “How did you do that?” It was “I felt like you were really connected with me.” That is the deeper magic. It’s not fooling the mind, it’s meeting the moment.
The Future of Magic in a Distracted World
As technology accelerates, our art becomes more essential, not less. This is because magic is one of the few experiences that still requires sustained attention. It asks for participation. It demands imagination. It rewards focus. Perhaps that is why live magic feels increasingly powerful. It is a rebellion against fragmentation. When we gather in a room and agree to pay attention together, we are doing something quietly radical. We are choosing depth over noise. In that depth, something extraordinary happens, not because of the trick, but it is because of the attention. In the end, crafting presence is not about commanding a room, it is about honoring it. It is about recognizing that every performance is an exchange of something rare. In an age of distraction, the magician is not merely an entertainer. We are the guardians of focus, and in protecting attention, we protect wonder itself.
Jason Porter
Some places exist not just as buildings, but as living vessels of knowledge, inspiration, and shared discovery. In this Museletter, Mystery School instructor Judge Gary Brown invites us into one such place, exploring the idea of the athenaeum and how the Mystery School Library continues a timeless tradition of artists and thinkers gathering to study, refine, and evolve their craft.
In ancient Greece, an athenaeum was a space dedicated to Athena, goddess of wisdom, where scholars and artists gathered to present, debate, and refine their work. Under Emperor Hadrian, the Romans adopted and expanded the idea, applying the term to institutions that resembled early universities. Faculty offered lectures and readings, sometimes before the emperor himself. In later centuries, the athenaeum evolved again, becoming the home of learned societies – buildings that combined libraries, collections, and spaces for assembly, performance, and inquiry.
Today, magicians can access an athenaeum hidden behind a secret door at the McBride Mystery School–the Library of Secrets. It fulfills the traditional functions of its predecessors and adds one more. Like the legendary “back rooms” of dealers such as Martinka and Flosso, it is a place where secrets may be shared freely among initiates. It is a crucible for inspiration, invention, and study, where magicians hone their craft, test their ideas, and enter a lineage of shared knowledge.
Those fortunate enough to have attended a Mystery School event are already familiar with the Library as a performance and lecture space. It is the heart of the school, where skilled magi teach and perform in a sumptuous parlor of mystery. In one class, I watched – awestruck – as Dean Larry Hass taught his version of a routine that I developed, an experience that will be hard to equal.
The surroundings are unforgettable. While learning from magic’s great teachers, participants are enveloped in a truly mystical environment. The shelves are lined with magical objects – exquisite, antique, and rare apparatus – visions of copper, chrome, and turned wood that can overwhelm first-time visitors. These artifacts are more than décor. Those who linger and study them closely might discover an 18th Century children’s magic set (complete with a bonus genius), a set of gimmicked matryoshka dolls, or a steampunk card duck. Examining these objects may yield a forgotten method or curious manifestation – one capable of igniting an entirely new routine. Recently, I acquired a Berg No Feke Card Frame from Viking Magic – a piece I snapped up because I had marveled at two similar card frames in the environs of the Library. The opportunity to examine this remarkable device in the Library revealed its potential for my repertoire.
Of course, the space is principally a magic library, one that grandly lives up to its name. Thousands of books and periodicals line the main passageway, including aged volumes nestled among coveted contemporary items, like Derren Brown’s Notes from a Fellow Traveller and Steve Cohen’s Max Malini. While many of the items could justify preservation in acid-free boxes and mylar bags, not here. This is, as Jeff often explains, a working library where magicians come to solve problems and find inspiration. One could, for example, peruse a vintage copy of C. Lange Neil’s The Modern Conjurer, featuring photos of Golden Age magicians like T. Nelson Downs and John Nevil Maskelyne performing classic effects. A teacher might lead a student to a copy of The Magic of Johnny Thompson, which offers a detailed explanation of a baffling effect presented by a Las Vegas headliner the previous evening.
Make no mistake–this is a place where discoveries are made and secrets unearthed. A few years ago at a Mystery School event, I watched my friend and colleague Daniel Quintana (known professionally as Byron Grey) have a “Eureka!” moment in the Library. “I’d long been a fan of the beautiful ‘Astarte’ illusion, which John Gaughan presented at one of the History Conferences in Los Angeles,” Dan recalls. “Astarte is a beautiful piece which predated David Copperfield’s flying by 50-60 years or so.” Dan had been searching for some insight as to its workings. Then, he located the Library’s copy of the Burling Hull Book of Stage Illusions, a volume with a colorful publishing history that gained a kind of underground following. “Yes!” he exclaimed, as he turned a page. “It didn’t say it was the Astarte illusion,” Dan explains, “but it provided enough detail that I could ‘see’ it!”
There is a secret to the Library that should not be missed. At its center rests a massive printer’s block filing cabinet that is, paradoxically, imposing yet easily overlooked. That piece houses the Ray Goulet Gimmick Collection, donated to the Mystery School after Ray’s passing. The drawers are packed with magical devices, gaffs and pocket tricks. Pull a handle and you might discover dozens of thumb tips, magic wands, production items or Japanese coin slides. Take time to compare a half dozen incarnations of the Vanishing Quarter, the Silk Wonder Box or the Zig Zag Playing Card. Considering different approaches to magical problems can offer insights into the creative process. Or you might discover, as I did, a box of “Custom Made Midget Starflowers featuring the All New Plastic Leaf” without figuring out exactly what they do…which is on my to-do list for my next visit!
During your next Mystery School course, you may notice an entry that says “Library Time” on the schedule. This is not a euphemism for an opportunity to grab a snack. Choose wisely – perhaps even plan ahead – and use that time to the fullest. You may be rewarded with a bit of wisdom.
Judge Gary Brown is the author of Wandcraft and The Inventive Magician’s Handbook. He is also a Visiting Teacher and a former Ray Goulet Scholar at the Magic & Mystery School. In this Museletter, Gary shares his thoughts about the athenaeum.