The Mantle of Magic

Dear Friends:
 
Our guest columnist this month is team member Daryl Rogers. Daryl performs close-up, strolling, parlor, and stage magic in a variety of venues, including birthday parties, private parties, fairs, festivals, schools, and libraries. He was recently named as an Instructor of the Magic & Mystery School and is a recipient of the Eugene Burger Legacy Award. He has taken numerous classes, acts as Assistant Media Manager to Scott SteelFyre for the school’s online classes and broadcasts, and occasionally hosts Mystery School Mondays

Discovering the Mantle of Magic

Mantle – noun 1. a loose sleeveless cloak or shawl  2. an important role or responsibility that passes from one person to another 

When I was 12 years old, I discovered magic and pursued it as a hobby for three years. The community I grew up in did not have a public library, and there were no magic stores nearby, so my knowledge of the art of magic was very limited. Forty years later, my interest in magic was reignited, and access to information was plentiful. The public library near me was large, and it didn’t take me long to discover the 793.8 section, and check out every item available.

One of the first books that caught my eye was The Illustrated History of Magic by Milbourne Christopher. I was fascinated to read about the long and rich history of magic. I was intrigued by the stories of past magicians like Robert-Houdin, Alexander Herrmann, Harry Kellar, Chung Ling Soo, Howard Thurston and other illustrious performers. I finally understood the reason for all the red tin tubes and boxes with fake Chinese lettering on them that I saw in the magic stores! Within that book I discovered the story of the Mantle of Magic.

The History and the Symbology
 
Harry Kellar became the premier American magician after the death of Alexander Herrmann. Toward the end of Kellar’s career, he started grooming a protégé to carry on in his footsteps. The original choice was a magician named Paul Valadon, but personal conflicts between Kellar’s and Valadon’s wives, in addition to some of Valadon’s personal actions, soured the deal. 
 
Howard Thurston stepped into the breach and made a bid to buy the show. He was accepted as Kellar’s heir apparent and performed with Kellar during his final tour. Kellar’s last show was held at Ford’s Opera House in Baltimore on the evening of May 16, 1908. At the end of the show, he gave a brief farewell speech, called Thurston onto the stage, and formally introduced him as his successor. 
 
At this time the passing of the Mantle of Magic was a metaphorical symbol, but it was soon depicted in a fanciful poster Thurston had created to promote his own show tour the following year. At the end of his career, Thurston passed the mantle to Harry Jansen, who performed under the name Dante. Dante passed the mantle to Lee Grabel, and Grabel passed it on to its current holder, Lance Burton, a close friend of the Magic & Mystery School. 
 
The Mantle of Magic is symbolic in a number of ways. At the surface level the mantle symbolizes a continuous lineage of master magicians. It is an outward designation of a person who has mastered all of the aspects of performing theatrical magic, and has reached the pinnacle of the art. It is the physical embodiment of a level of ability worthy to strive for by anyone serious about performing magic.
 
On a deeper level, it touches on the concept of a Jungian archetype. Indeed, the magician is one of the twelve brand archetypes in the Jungian aesthetic. The image of the classic magician in a white tie and tailcoat, tuxedo, top hat, cane, and cape is instantly recognizable as depicting a person of mystery, ability, and power. Even the youngest person getting involved in magic instinctively understands the meaning of this symbol.

Earning Your Mantle

Though you may not perform in the traditional Robert-Houdin inspired wardrobe of the magician, another kind of mantle exists that you can wear. It is a mantle in your mind, and of your spirit. It is that never-ending quest to perform to the best of your abilities, and to raise the appreciation of magical performances in the eyes of the public. It doesn’t matter whether you are doing card tricks for one person at a bar, or performing for thousands of people on stage in a formal theater. The goal is the same.

There is no secret formula for reaching this level of performance ability. It comes from reading good books on magic history, theory, and philosophy. It comes from focused, conscious practice, and rehearsal. It comes from knowing your character, choosing the correct wardrobe, scripting your routines, and blocking your performances. It comes from your dedication, perseverance, and commitment to continual improvement. 

Perhaps most important of all is your connection to your fellow magicians, your mentors. and your teachers.

• Whose writings and teachings do you learn from?
• Who do you choose to have review and critique your act?
• Whose business advice do you listen to? 
• What actions do you take based on what you learn? 

How you answer these questions will have a profound impact on how you perform your magic, how your audiences will perceive your magic performances, and ultimately on your foundational relationship to the art of magic. 

There is no better place to make connections with people you can trust, and that have a deep understanding of the art of magic than at the Magic & Mystery School. The entire faculty and supporting staff are dedicated to the school’s mission of “improving the art of magic one magician at a time.” 

All skill levels are welcome. You will be connected to some of the friendliest and most generous magic teachers and mentors working today. As you deepen and strengthen your relationship with the school, you will be joining prior students like Shin Lim, Mat Franco, Bill Cook and many others. What it has done for their careers, it can do for yours as well, and soon you will find a Mantle of Magic that fits you. 

Learn more about the Mantle of Magic in the books The Illustrated History of Magic by Milbourne Christopher and The Last Greatest Magician in the World by Jim Steinmeyer.

What Kind of Magician Are You?

What role do you play in life or on stage?
 
What role do YOU most often play when you perform magic? Do you think of yourself as a Trickster, Sorcerer, Oracle, or Sage?
 
Following is the philosophy of “The Wheel of Life of the Magician.” 
 
Many of you have seen my now semi-famous chart of the “Wheel of The Magician” that was created by my study of magicians for over 30 years. You can see it here:
 
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10223894294174601&set=a.1034651675898
 
Who are you on an archetypal level?
 
Some people pass through all of these personas as they grow in the art. Some develop their work and dive deep into one role. Some go their entire careers totally unaware or unwilling to work their magic, or live life on mythic level. There are a multitude of personas and characters to explore, and many shades in between each role.
 
In creating graphic art, there are three primary colors: red, yellow and blue. Many shades of color can emerge out of these. Likewise, infinite novel, and colorful variations flow from our four primary magical archetypes of the magician! Below are just a few of the primary archetypes. Hint–you can always play more than just one of these four roles! What is your primary persona?
 
(You can “find yourself” in our next class series!)

The Trickster is the disruptor who turns our reality upside down. Learn the ways and means of master tricksters, and how to use them to capture people’s hearts and minds.

The Sorcerer is the hero who captures and concentrates magical powers, and focuses them to work their will upon the world. Yet, it takes more than mere tricks to become a Sorcerer; it takes discipline and many skills. In this class, we will focus on theatricality, character, and presentation.

The Oracle is the master of the inner world – a visionary who taps into our inner landscapes, can appear to read minds, and can even predict our future. In modern times, these oracles appear as mentalists, mind readers, and mystery entertainers.

The Sage is the keeper of the inner secrets. The real secrets of magic are only passed down from master to student, in whispers. The Sage is a collector of knowledge, experience, and hard-earned wisdom. When you tap into your inner sage, you have the entire history of mystery at your fingertips.
Which one are you?
 
If you are a serious student of magic, art, and philosophy…
 
I invite you to take a very personal journey with me, and explore real secrets of these archetypes that will be revealed in my upcoming class. Registration is now open!
https://shop.magicalwisdom.com/event/the-four-faces-of-magic

Super Star David Copperfield!
 
David Copperfield will be our very special guest with us for Mystery School Monday on September 14th, and we will talk about how the cinema has influenced his magic and television shows. We are incredibly excited to have David as our guest. This is a very special opportunity to hear a true Master of the Art.
 
Movie Magic
 
Magicians are often ahead of their time. Many of you might be aware that magicians were pioneers in the Art of Cinema. Many people consider Georges Méliès to have been the father of cinematic special effects; however, there were magicians before him that blazed the trail… And I have been walking that trail recently and exploring the history of magicians in the movies.

I’ve always had a passion for live theater, and have always considered myself a theatrical performer. These days, everybody is living in front of the computer, a medium that isn’t quite television, and yet isn’t cinema either. It is something new and unusual, and an unexplored frontier. We here at the Magic  and Mystery School are exploring it.
 
I’ve learned many things from watching great movies, and I am working to put them into practice in our online presentations. Recently I’ve been seeking inspiration from Masters of Cinema.
 
During these last few months, I have avoided watching movies. However, there are some great inspirational movies that magicians must see in order to understand how the general public perceives magic.
 
In recent years, movies like The Prestige and Illusionist have given magic an elegant Victorian mystique.
 
There seems to be a pendulum swing between sophistication, and making other movies like The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, The Great Buck Howard and most recently, Magic Camp by Disney, which all portray magicians as ego maniacal comic characters, using magic to get attention — and in many ways they might be correct!

I’m curating a list of magic movies that inspire. What are some of your favorite magic movies? I’d be curious to know!

Wikipedia has an extraordinary list of magic movies to explore–take a look for “Movies about Magic”

Each Monday on Mystery School Monday we will explore magical archetypes in the cinema!

Join us at https://shop.magicalwisdom.com/i/mcbridemagic-tv

Take a look at these amazing new classes we are offering and also know that we are offering financial aid in the form of a stipend, in case you need help attending our online classes. Go to
https://shop.magicalwisdom.com/events

See you in the online classroom! It is our amazing new home and we invite you to join us!

Jeff & the Mystery School faculty