Dear Friends in Magic,
Every once in a while, I meet magicians who don’t just perform magic – they embody it. Alex Si and Olivier Rijckaert (Louis Loriot) are two such visionaries. Whether on stage or in corporate settings, they blend deep psychology, bold creativity, and philosophical insight into their work. Their passion lifts our art higher, and I’m honored to call them both students and colleagues.
Their journey, shared here, is a shining example of how Mystery School teachings awaken something profound within us. Through years of study and friendship, Alex and Olivier have become not just better magicians, but true guides for others who seek meaning through magic.
This could very well be the last Master Class in Europe, and it’s shaping up to be something truly extraordinary. If you feel the spark, follow it. This may be your once-in-a-lifetime chance to learn with us – heart to heart, mind to mind, and magician to magician.
With wonder,
Jeff McBride, Founder
McBride Magic & Mystery School
Alex Si
About 15 years ago, for my thirtieth birthday, my wife offered me something very special – my first trip to Las Vegas! It was a solo trip, but not one to the casinos. If you’re reading these lines, you know where I was headed. However, little did I know that this would end with sorrow.
My first trip to Vegas was to attend the Magic & Meaning Conference. I went there to meet the masters Eugene Burger, Larry Hass and Jeff McBride. Besides meeting those stars of our art, I discovered something precious. I understood it only when I came back to Belgium – through sorrow and deep sadness.
Back home, an ocean away, I realized that I had found a tribe. People who wanted to go beyond the tricks. People who wanted to create meaningful and beautiful magic. People who were aiming higher for our art. And you, have you discovered your tribe? People who “click” with you and help you grow?
To me, it was obvious: magic clubs and conventions were not enough. I had to come back to Vegas. And I did, for five years in a row! It took that number of years for a small inner voice to grow louder. An inner voice I didn’t realize existed before I could hear it shout, “I want to help local magicians see that magic could be so much more than tricks!” With Larry’s trust and support, I hosted him for a wonderful day filled with a lecture, a workshop, and a full evening show in Brussels.
It was such a fantastic experience, and I received an unexpected gift – one that had a major impact on my life. But let’s first move to my friend Olivier (aka Louis Loriot, the crazy Professor) before continuing my story.
Olivier
When I first became interested in magic, I quickly realized it was, by nature, a rather solitary pursuit. Sure, you can join a magic club, but opportunities to truly learn in a classical teacher-student format are rare. That changed completely the day I discovered the Master Class with Larry Hass, organized in Belgium by Alex.
I signed up, and what followed was a wonderful day – eye-opening, inspiring, and truly transformative. It was during that event that I first understood that magic is not just tricks and techniques, but professionalism, philosophy, and presence.
Since then, I’ve had the privilege of attending five Mentalism Masterclasses in Las Vegas – not only learning from Jeff, but also from other legendary figures in the field, such as Ross Johnson. These sessions equipped me with both the skills and the confidence to begin envisioning my own stage show and to launch several other creative projects.
Today, my first full-length show is up and running, and I owe a great deal to Larry and Jeff for their guidance and inspiration. Following their example, I also founded a magic school for children and teenagers – an initiative aimed at passing the torch to the next generation of magicians.
The Master Class was also the beginning of a great friendship with Alex, one that has lasted for over ten years now, and has been a fruitful friendship, too! We’ve created many magical projects together: The Secret Partners, The Enchanted Journeys Cabaret, Master Classes, and more.
Thanks to their unique masterclass concept, Larry and Jeff didn’t just help us become better magicians, they gave us the foundation for a deep community, lasting friendships, and professional collaborations that have truly elevated both our skill and our dedication to the art of magic.
Alex Si’s Surprise Gift
Yes, you probably understand it by now. The surprise gift I received after producing Larry in Belgium was friendships. The event attracted the local magicians who seldom visit magic clubs, but shared my vision for artful magic. The magicians who inspired me every time I saw them perform, became friends who helped me aim higher and dream bigger.
I know many of you, as readers of this Museletter, already know how transformative the experience of attending a class with Jeff and Larry is, for beginners and experts alike. Why? Because there is always one more element to work on. That’s why Olivier and I are organizing one more Master Class in Belgium with both Jeff and Larry.
Or maybe I’m just greedy, and in need of one additional fix of inspiration. I’m already looking forward to meeting new friends. Will one of them be you?
Dear Friends:
In this month’s Museletter, Franklin Williams addresses a quiet but critical challenge in the world of magic: who gets a seat at the table, and who doesn’t. It’s easy to forget how it feels to be a newcomer, eager to share an insight or ask a question, only to be told you haven’t “earned the right” to speak. But is this mindset truly serving our art? Franklin takes a closer look at why welcoming every voice to the table might be the healthiest step we can take for ourselves – and for the future of magic.
The “Big Boy” Table Issue
I sat down initially with the intention to write about a different topic altogether, but then something heartbreaking happened that I thought was no longer a thing in our beloved art of magic. A friend of mine was given the “Big Boy” table speech. It goes something like this:
I beg to differ on this wholeheartedly for a few reasons, and it has made me a much better magician overall because I will listen to feedback from anyone regardless of how long they have been doing magic. I won’t always take it or use it, but I will give them the courtesy of listening. Let me go a bit deeper on why I take this stance.
The Echo Chamber Effect
First of all, I have noticed among many of my full-time pro friends there seems to be an echo chamber effect. If most of them were on the same bill, the audience would not remember who was who or who did what. We, as magicians, would be able to tell the differences in their performances, because we know the subtle differences between different effects and presentations.
They perform magic the same way that their mentors did and view it as sacrilege to do it any other way. Magic needs to move forward, and the only way it does that, is by trying new and different things, while still honoring what came before.
What can a person tell me who has been in magic a short time? Many valuable things, and I will list a few of them here.
I think it is important, especially in our age where pretty much every magic effect is able to be learned thanks to a quick AI search. We need to recognize that the Big Boy Table philosophy only hurts the art. Am I saying you should teach someone new everything? Absolutely not, you should give them valuable information for where they are in their magic journey, but don’t make them feel “less than” for being new.
Embrace the newcomer to the art of magic and ask them to pull up a seat at the table. You may be surprised at the value they bring. You may even be able to stop complaining about other magicians in your area charging too little or making magic look bad, because you all worked together for magic – rather than against each other.
Dear Friends:
This month’s Museletter is a powerful and personal reflection from our friend and Mystery School student Derek Selinger. It’s a story of near-miraculous beginnings, lost dreams, rediscovered purpose, and the enduring magic of grace, mentorship, and community. Derek invites us to consider where our dreams begin, how they grow, and what it means to dream again. His journey reminds us that no matter where we are, it’s never too late to ask, “What if?”
Seeds
From a young age, I had a sense that there would be something I would be good at. I began to dream all kinds of dreams…of what I could do or who I could be. I think my awareness of this as a young kid stemmed from a near death experience – my mother was electrocuted (shocked) when she was pregnant with me. I should not have survived. I’m grateful I did, and that the repercussions of this trauma have been limited. But I can clearly recall my mom telling me about this when I was eight years old, and this knowledge created within me the desire to find “my path.”
Through high school I tried many things. From athletics to academics, I was trying to find the thing that sang to me – the area where I could invest my life and energy. Many of these early dreams died. But as I found out, dreams are like seeds, and some don’t sprout and grow until they die. I worked and sought for my path until one day…I met Jeff McBride.
Luck
They say that luck is where opportunity and preparation intersect. And I think that is mostly true. But I think there is a third element, which I will touch on in a moment.
I met Jeff McBride at a teaching session the day following his performance in Edmonton, Alberta. I believe the session cost one hundred dollars. At the time that was a lot of money for me, so I was determined to get the most out of it. I arrived at the room early and discovered a long boardroom table where we would all sit. I put the most comfortable chair at the head of the table and sat next to it. Whenever anyone tried to sit in that spot, I told them it was Jeff’s chair. And sure enough, Jeff came in and sat in my reserved spot for him.
Jeff was early as well. He turned to me and began to ask me about myself. When I told him I did some close-up, he said “show me something.” With shaking hands, I performed Triumph. Jeff, ever gracious, gave me some pointers and suggested I bring it to life with a story. Something clicked in my head, and in that moment I began to see the art differently. At the end of the session, Jeff invited me to a Master Class in Las Vegas. I was dumbfounded. Me? I…I mean…me?
And this leads me to the third part of luck. You see, the next day I told a friend of this invitation, and how honored I was to receive it. I confided that I would turn it down because I wasn’t good enough yet. “Maybe next year, after I practice,” I said. And my friend called me…an idiot. “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and if you don’t take it, you will regret it the rest of your life!” they said. So I went.
You see, the other part of luck is grace. It’s community. It’s belief. That word from my friend gave me the courage to go to Las Vegas, and that is where the dream came alive.
Nurture
That first Master Class was a blur. Eugene Burger, Lance Burton, Mac King, and of course, Jeff McBride himself. I learned so much. But the biggest gift I received was that I saw the possibility. I remember sitting by Tobias and journaling after a session, and it hit me. “I can do this! This is it!” And I didn’t look back.
I developed an act to compete with. I won some nice awards at CAM, SAM, and the People’s Choice at I.B.M. This led to performances in Vegas and Europe. I was on Le Grande Cabaret in France and on cruise liners. Eventually I mounted my own show tours with “Beyond,” “Selinger’s Wonder” and “The Gift.”
An amazing moment was performing on Penn and Teller: Fool Us. What a thrill to present my unique take to a classic plot with an underlying message of the power of decisions. It was a break I was waiting for. Everything was starting to happen. We were having conversations with producers in America. Another couple of TV shows came calling, and it looked like everything was about to blow wide open. Then the world stopped.
Dream…Again
The great shutdown killed a tour and lost me a lot of money. All these new contacts and opportunities were put on hold. And I wondered, now what? I began to reinvent myself as a trusted advisor on storytelling with various entrepreneurs and brands. Jeff and I continued to meet monthly to work on magic and direction. And one day a new dream began to form.
I wrote a show that was designed for only a dozen people. It was magic and storytelling and human connection. We began to put it into the world, and it is now pretty much all I do as a performer. This exclusive experience was born out of pain and trial and persistence and belief. I got lucky again.
You see, I was able to dream this new dream in large part because of who I surrounded myself with. My wife Cora is incredible. And I had the great blessing of having Jeff and a few others speak into my life so I could outlast the dark period and dream again.
Steal Back Your Dreams
The culmination of these experiences along with many others compelled me to pursue the TEDx stage. I wanted to talk about dreaming and dreaming big. This was in part because I know that so much meaning comes from intentional dreaming, but I also believe that the more people that dream… the better the world becomes.
I was selected and closed the TEDx event in Cape May, New Jersey with a talk on how to dream. The talk included a lottery prediction which was super fun and drove a point home. The TEDx talk began a domino effect where I was being seen as an expert on what it means to dream. Many podcasts and other opportunities later I wrote a book, The Dream Thief.
The book is a culmination of my lived experience, observations and research into an allegorical story and process that anyone can implement to dream again. There is even an Ultimate Flashback opportunity in it, for those who perform that trick. Even if you don’t get the book, I want to spend a paragraph encouraging you. Your dreams matter. You matter. Your magic matters.
I think that one of the things that can really harm us is when we compare our dreams with what others dream. If I looked at the path of David Copperfield, I would be ever-disappointed with my journey. But my dreams are different from his. And your dreams are different from mine. The way you create, the way you perform, and the way that you want to express yourself in this art is different. And isn’t that wonderful?
Like learning a double lift or a retention vanish, dreaming is a skill. It follows a technique. This methodology can be learned and practiced and perfected. It is not for the few. It is for us all. It is for you. So, if nothing else, please take away the encouragement to ask a meaningful question that you will find the answer to. Ask “What if?” and see it where it takes you. And remember the third part of “luck”? It is opportunity and preparation, yes, but it is also grace and community.
I wouldn’t be here without those that believed in me. I would not be the magician and communicator and dreamer without my good friend and coach and mentor Jeff McBride.
And for that…I am just…grateful.
Derek Selinger
derekselinger.com
Dear Friends:
This month, George Parker takes us on a thought-provoking journey – from a magic shop in Cape Town to canceled shows and earnest fan mail – in search of what “real magic” truly means. Along the way, he challenges us to reflect not only on the nature of magic, but on the very human forces that shape our lives and our art: imagination, intention, transformation, and connection.
Real Magic?
“I want the real vanish box!”
I was giving a lecture at the College of Magic in Cape Town, South Africa. I was in their magic shop, when a man walked in and said he wanted to buy a vanishing box. He had seen one in Johannesburg and had traveled all the way to Cape Town to buy it. The staff demonstrated the well-known vanishing and production box with the double drawer.
“Yes, that’s the one!” he exclaimed.
After paying, he was shown how the trick worked. His reaction?
“This is a trick! I want the real vanish box. I want my money back!”
A Canceled Performance
The desire for—and belief in—real magic, as in supernatural and occult powers, is something I’ve encountered often. And there’s nothing wrong with that…until you start taking it too literally. That’s when you step onto thin ice.
I have experienced the consequences of people believing that illusionists have supernatural power a few times. I paid a price, quite literally. For example, early this year I had a great online meeting with a spirited organizing committee who were excited about hiring me and looked forward to the event. A week later I got a call. “Sorry, we have to cancel your keynote/show. My boss is a devout Christian and doesn’t want anything to do with magicians. He believes they channel dangerous occult powers.”
Where Does David Copperfield Get His Supernatural Powers?
Another example of this was an email I received a few years back. Someone asked me to reveal how David Copperfield had developed his “magical supernatural powers.” I explained that what you see Copperfield do on stage are illusions.
He wrote: “George, you said ‘he’s an illusionist,’ but not for me. Illusionists use tricks. A true Magician assures human control of supernatural agencies or the forces of nature. D.C. has some presentations where it’s impossible to believe it’s a trick. That’s where he’s using real magic powers.”
Even if Copperfield would personally teach this person how it’s done, he still wouldn’t believe they were “just tricks.” The power of mental models: a blessing and a curse. A blessing because we feel secure and stable in our mental models. It’s also a curse because being stuck in our own perspective leads to polarization and all of its ugly sides.
The Real Magic of Creation
Let’s talk about magic as an occult art. Occult means “hidden,” “invisible.” The phrase “occult powers” evoke images of mystery and magic. Films and illusionists love to lean into this romantic notion: Yoda lifting an X-Wing with invisible force…Neo bending reality with his mind…Harry Potter casting spells with a wand…David Copperfield walking through the Great Wall…Ger Copper doing his black art magic.
I believe there are two kinds of ‘hidden’ when we see those images. The first one is that the magician, filmmaker, the black art artist, indeed use methods that are hidden for the audience to conjure up these images.
The second one is that these, symbolic, images resonate with powers that are innately human but are most of the time hidden. They are the invisible forces of imagination, love, energy, will, and thought, that indeed shape the reality around us. Everything we see around us started with these hidden, or occult, forces. On stage and in films we can remove the factors of time and effort between an idea and its realization. The production, vanish, and transformations seem to happen instantaneously.
We Are Born Magicians—Just Not Literal Like in the Movies
That image of instantaneous change with a mere hand gesture is very exciting. It can work wonders as a metaphor much like the action-metaphor of a placebo. It can instill faith, belief in a better world, hope, and a strong motivation to get to work to make things happen.
Personally, I’m glad I don’t have those ‘real’ magical powers. For example, when I make the mistake of taking in too much negative news I get cranky and sometimes my mind ends up in a Hulk-like state. I wouldn’t want my thoughts to turn into reality with a flick of my fingers as you can imagine (but don’t, it might destroy your mood).
The other, more profound, reason why I wouldn’t want to have such magical powers, is the fact that I highly value living through the embodied experience of transformation. It’s not always fun to alternate excitement and frustration, smiles and tears, triumphs and failures. But they are a huge part of the alchemical process of real growth that goes far beyond the production box.
On top of that, the joy of experiencing these ups and downs with family, friends and our tribe can’t be replicated by just a flick of the finger. Ever.
George Parker is faculty at large. He’s a bestselling author of books on the creative process as well as Index-terity and Performing Magic with Impact for magicians. He’s performed in over 5,500 custom keynotes/shows and theater shows in over 35 countries.