Posted on May 13, 2018

Magical Words & Magical Worlds to Inspire You

Something to Consider Seriously
Over the past year, I’ve lost a few great people in my life. This reminds me how precious our connections are… so here is my heart-song to you, my friend.

My intention is to inspire you, and to stay in touch with you each month, each year.

The action I take is to keep in touch with you each month with my Muse-letter. This page is a special place for us to meet and to share magical inspiration.

The magic we make together only happens when we meet on this page or at one of the many magic events I create and host for you.

You have a choice.
You can stay safe and do the things you always do…
Or you can join me on a magical adventure.

An Important Question for You
What inspires you?

What is your passion – your dream? I’d love to hear about that! Can you share that vision with me? Tell me about your inspiration and what you want to accomplish in life.

When will you do that? Please, do stay in contact with me, and tell me about your passion, your magic, your inspirations.

When you can, please send me an email! I’d love to hear what is happening for you! Just a few words from you would do my heart good… are you out there? Here is my personal email to make it easy, ok?

Jeff@mcbridemagic.com
(I stay off Facebook, so email is best!)

Houdini is still one of my heroes. He reminds us that what is in our brain is our only real limitation! We all “hold back” in our lives–and that is, most often, an illusion–an illusion that cuts us off from experiencing all the richness that life has to offer. As Robert Anton Wilson said…

“We are GIANTS, raised by pygmies, who have learned how to walk in a perpetual mental crouch!”

Think about that for a moment friends…and let’s use our magic to break free of past programming and habits, and stand up tall! Really, the only thing that holds us back from “living the dream” is our own brain.Change your thinking, and you can change your life.

Sometimes we all need help changing the way we limit ourselves…that is where a good mentor comes in.

Five Reasons Why Spending Money on Experiences Makes Us Happier Than Buying Stuff 

  1. Happiness over material items quickly fades.
  2. Experiences define your purpose and passions.
  3. Possessions don’t contribute to social relationships.
  4. Moments are more memorable.
  5. Experiences introduce you to a whole new world.

See the full article here
https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/294163

Are You Ready for a New Experience?
If the answer is “yes,” then take a look here at the various worlds of magic you can share with me. If you could pick only one, what would it be? hmmm!
http://www.magicalwisdom.com/events

A Magical Divination: What is in Your Future?
Here is something you can do to bring more magic into your life! Just click on a random link below and enter a magical world that just might be in your future. Try any one of these:
https://tinyurl.com/y78n2znz
www.mcbridemagic.tv
www.vegaswonderground.com
www.lasvegasmagicstars.com

WONDERGROUND May 17, 2018
All info at www.vegaswonderground.com

7:30pm Close up magic and mentalism of Kent Axell

8:00 pm – Your Master of Ceremonies – Tim Wise
Jeremy Michaelson – Award Winning
Manipulations – Parasol Act
Jarol Martin – Original Magic & Mystery
Wes Jarlson – Magical Connections
David Gabbay – Direct from The Magic
Castle in Hollywood!

9:15pm – Your Master of Ceremonies – Will Bradshaw
David Gabbay as “BIJAN” the Magi
Jarol Martin – Magic with a Latin Flair
Bizzaro – Always Something NEW and Original
Nathan Phan – Direct from Masters of Illusion!At The WONDER-BAR
Scott Steelfyre – Die-Namic Deceptions
Tim Wise – Master of The Magic Castle Bar Magic
Close up Magic and Mentalism of Kent Axell

10:00 pm – Tim Wise is your MC
Will Bradshaw – Lights up the Stage
Miz Charlamay – Mind Bending Body Magic
Jordan Rooks – Conjuring Creations
Bizzaro – Wonderground… Get ready for BIZZ-AR-O!
Jarol Martin – Illuminating Illusions

PLUS:  Taylor Lloyd, Jordan Rooks, Photography by Sheryl Garrett. Bar Magic with Zack Pattee, Scott Steelfyre, Corey Rubino, NEW Belly Dancers, Psychic Sideshow with Morganne Tarot, Alan Scott, Live Art with Areeya – and many more surprises and special celebrity guests!!

See you in Vegas or on the road!
Jeff and Abigail

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Posted on May 1, 2018

Wonders!

Today’s musings are contributed by Abigail McBride. Enjoy!

Greetings Magical Friends,

I’m not here to try to sell you anything, or to try to make you believe in anything, or to convince you of anything at all. I’m just here, with you, right now, in a state of presence, of paying attention and being aware. I’m allowing myself the gift of uni-tasking, just doing one thing, and right now. That one thing is reaching out to all of you, to each of you, to say what a wonder each one of you truly is.

By some amazing coincidence, your ancestors encountered each other, and through a dance of chance and genetics, through the ages and across the world, you came to be here now, alive, breathing, and with a mind that is sharp enough to make sense of squiggles on a screen.

Somehow, life brought you into connection with us – an uncle pulled a coin from your ear; an aunt gave you a Golden Book of Magic; you saw a magician do something mind-boggling on TV – and the desire for magic came into your life… and somehow, over time, that led you to us, to be here, now, reading these words. What a wonder!

The Master, Eugene Burger, often spoke of there being “fellowship across differences” in the House of Magic with many rooms, and I continue to be delighted that, regardless of religious background (or lack thereof), of political alignment (or apathy towards), of style of magic we perform (or don’t), we are all here together, in good company, in the shared enjoyment of magic. What a gift to be part of this community, to be connected to so many (almost 15,000 of us) reading this, now.

Sometimes, I am floored with gratitude.

I hope to see you all soon, either here at the Magic & Mystery School, or online in our virtual school, or at our monthly Wonderground show.  Until then, know that I am here, part of your circle, and happy to be connected.

Wishing you the very best of everything,

Abigail

 

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Posted on Apr 15, 2018

Finding Your Path to Mystery

Finding Your Path to Mystery

Do you remain “teachable?”

I’m so glad I made the decision years ago to seek out mentors! It has been a blessing to have been coached by Larry Hass, Tobias Beckwith, and of course our Master mentor, Eugene Burger. I can’t imagine what my life would be without these amazing teachers!

All I can do with this is to hope to “pass it forward,” perhaps to you!

Who is your mentor? If you don’t have one–you need one!

Why You Need a Mentor

  • A mentor keeps you focused and on your career track.
  • A mentor can cut YEARS off your learning curve
  • A mentor gives you creative and emotional support in challenging times.
  • A mentor can bring out the very best in YOU
  • A mentor believes in YOU and your vision.
  • But wait! There’s more!

https://www.inc.com/…/10-reasons-why-a-mentor-is-a-must.html

Where Can You Find a Mentor?

If you are a magician and you want to find a mentor, here are a few suggestions.

  1. Your local Magic club.

There are hundreds of Magic clubs worldwide. I.B.M., S.A.M. and many other local magic clubs exist in just about every city in the world. Members of these clubs have years of magic experience to share with you.

  1. Mystery School Online Classroom

You can join us in our online classroom and interact and discuss magic. One recent training session featured Losander, teaching levitation systems for close-up and stage. Many of our members and faculty also teach magic and encourage and mentor the students in our online classroom. Go take a look at www.mcbridemagic.tv

http://virtual.magicalwisdom.com/infopages/view/skype

3.   Skype Mentoring What will supercharge
your magic performance & business?

“No matter what your level of experience, these sessions are the best 100 dollars you will spend in magic.” – Victor Benoun

4.    The Residency

If you would like personal training at our school in Vegas we can set up private classes for you. We also have a new residency program with 1, 2 or 3 days and evenings of one-on-one training. Whatever you want to explore and learn, we have the team to take your magic to the next level.

So come to Las Vegas and train with me personally for as many days as you desire, anytime you want. Call Abigail for more information 702-450-0021.

Wonderground News: April 19, 2018
The Kent Axell & Will Bradshaw Show!

We keep experimenting with new format. And April’s WONDERGROUND will break new ground with a special event and a Las Vegas headline!

Special Event!
Mentalism, Comedy, Drama and Mystery

8pm – Direct from New York City
The Kent Axell & Will Bradshaw – 2 Man show!
     Mentalism, Comedy, Drama and Mystery

9pm – Will Bradshaw is your host
Jordan Rooks – Storytelling Magic
Jungle Josh – Magic with a Twist
Kent Axell -  Mentalism and Magic Direct from NYC

And at the WONDERBAR
Tim Wise – A Magical Game Show
Scott Steelfyre – Die-Namic Skills

10pm  – Tim Wise is Host
Will Bradshaw – Fire-Flower
Allie Sparks – A Passion for Fire
Jordan Rooks – Modern Enchantments
Jungle Josh – Exotic Enchantments
Xavier Mortimer – Wondrous Waters

My hope is that you find your mentor, and that their wisdom and help will make a world of difference in your work, art and life!

Be inspired,
Jeff

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Posted on Apr 1, 2018

Is Your Magic “Sticky”?

From the Dean, Lawrence Hass, Ph.D.

Is Your Magic “Sticky”?
Longtime readers will know I conclude every calendar year with a reflective “visioning” process, during which I articulate my goals and plans for the new year. As one part of this, I state some commitments for the year ahead, and for 2018, this one was at the top of my list:

Spend more time with sticky art.

I came up with this concept—“sticky art”—last year while watching David Lynch’s extraordinary show, Twin Peaks: The Return. I had enjoyed Twin Peaks when it aired in the early 1990’s, but that was nothing compared to the incredible experience I had while watching The Return from May to September 2017.

It was 18 weekly one-hour episodes—no binging allowed!—and thank heavens for that, because each episode left me thinking, pondering, reflecting for days. Watching this show was an incredibly rich encounter with art—one of the very best I had all last year.

So at the end of 2017, I realized I wanted more of that. I wanted to spend less time and money on superficial, glossy forgettable art-stuff. I wanted to have fewer “potato chips” and less “white bread” in my arts and entertainment diet. I wanted to invest my deeply precious time with entertainment objects that would “stick to my bones.”

  

I hope by now you are starting to think about entertainments you’ve encountered that have this quality. One good measure of them is that you find yourself thinking or talking about them—not just the next morning, but two days later. Here is a list of some sticky art I have recently experienced:

Films: The Last Jedi and Black Panther (my wife, daughter, and I dined out for days on these films.)

Art exhibits: Jasper Johns (The Broad) and Richard Diebenkorn (SFMOMA)

Graphic novels: Planetary (by Warren Ellis and John Cassidy) and Watchmen (by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons)

Music: David Bowie’s astonishing final album Blackstar

Short stories by Harlan Ellison and Neil Gaiman

I understand, of course, that what’s sticky for me might not be so for you. As with most aesthetic things, they are inflected with personal interests and tastes. Even so, I believe there are certain qualities all these entertainments share, and I suspect you’ll find at least some of the following qualities in the items on your list.

  1. Again, these objects are sticky as opposed to slick, superficial, or glossy. They are memorable two days later rather than being bubble-gum forgettable.
  2. They are thought-rich rather than thought-poor. That is, a palpable amount of thinking and artistic decision-making went into their creation. You can feel and tell that the artist(s) thought about every detail.
  3. Sticky art objects are also fecund as opposed to barren—they are more like a tropical jungle than a desert. They inspire energized thoughts and conversations. Essential to this is that they don’t give everything up on the first experience. Each of them is what J. J. Abrams has called in one of his TED Talks, “The Mystery Box.”
  4. Also, I have observed that sticky art involves things that are dramatically unexpected, as opposed to “organic” developments or run-of-the-mill, cliché familiarities. (This is part of why A Game of Thrones is so compelling.)

Now, with all this in place, I have a few questions for you. Since we are the Magic & Mystery School, you might consider it homework.
What art works—films, TV programs, fine arts, music, theater shows, comic books, fiction, stand-up comics, architecture—have you found sticky? Spend a little time reflecting on them, and compare them to the list of qualities I just provided. This process will allow you to enjoy them once again, and might give you a richer sense of why.

Next: What pieces of magic or magic shows have you recently experienced that were sticky in this way? (I have a few in my recent experiences, but I don’t want to hijack your process.)

Finally, and perhaps most important of all: since “stickiness” is obviously an extremely fine, powerful quality in entertainment, which pieces of magic in your repertoire have it, or have more of it than others? And can you aim to get more of it in the next piece you create? That is, can you make that routine more memorable, thought-rich, fecund, and unexpected? Can you craft a hooky “mystery box” that will linger for days?

Because I hope by now you see: stickiness isn’t merely an aesthetic quality, it’s also a commercial one.

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