“Sometimes our light goes out, but it is blown again into flame by an encounter with another human being. Each of us owes deepest thanks to those who have rekindled this inner light.”
–Albert Schweitzer
“Teaching is not filling a bucket; it is lighting a fire.”
The above is an inspirational thought that I worked into my acceptance speech at the AMA awards last week. I was presented with the Lecturer of the Year award, which is the highest honor a teacher of magic can receive. I want to thank all of my teachers for keeping the fire of magic burning brightly: Eugene, Abbi, Tobias, Bryce and Jordan and all of the other teachers and facilitators here at the School.
The Academy of Magical Arts (The Magic Castle) held its 41st annual awards show at the Avalon Hollywood Theater. …And the winners are:Â
Jeff McBride, Lecturer of the YearÂ
Guy Hollingworth, Magician of the YearÂ
Bob Fitch, Lifetime AchievementÂ
Celeste Evans, Performing FellowshipÂ
Howie Schwarzman, Performing FellowshipÂ
Louis Falanga, Literary FellowshipÂ
Doc Eason, Close-up Magician of the YearÂ
Kevin James, Stage Magician of the YearÂ
Shoot Ogawa, Parlour Magician of the YearÂ
It was really quite amazing that I have deep and lasting friendships with so many of the winners. Bob Fitch was my first director, and responsible for helping me choreograph one of my favorite routines, “THE MAGIC WATER BOWLS” that you may have seen recently on Masters of Illusion. Louis Falanga is the publisher of many of my teaching DVDs, and the new MAGIC AT THE EDGE 3 volume set. I often tour with Doc Eason, Kevin James and Shoot Ogawa, all fine magicians. All of these guys visit Las Vegas on a regular basis. Celeste Evans is one of the great ladies of magic; I hope that she can attend the upcoming Sisters of Mystery conference for women in magic later this fall.
“Without inspiration, the best powers of the mind remain dormant; there is a fuel in us which needs to be ignited with sparks.”
— Johann Gottfried von Herder
Vegas. One of the places we find inspiration is at our Alchemifire events. We are hosting one here in May, and if you are called to join us, here is the link to explore:Â
We will be hosting another in June, in Ohio,Â
http://www.wisteria.org/wisteria-summer-solstice.htm
Yes friends, the big blue bird of happiness will greet you if he stays around our neighborhood, though I must say, the lawn guys gave him quite a scare yesterday with their leaf blowers… He gave them a scare, too. His tail feathers span over eight feet when he’s got them extended, which he displayed for us the other day. So, just be cautious as you approach the door to our House of Mystery. His nest is just to the left of our gate….Â
As you read this, I will be on tour in Israel and Spain, getting home just in time for our April Master Class, and then to the MAGIC-WHIRL event in Washington, DC.Â
Your friend in mystery,
Jeff