Greetings magical friends,
Abigail here, writing from the safe sanctuary of the Library of Secrets here at the House of Mystery. Here and now, at this moment, with this breath and this heartbeat, all is well.
I am still wrapping my head and my heart around the tragic events in Las Vegas on October 1st. It’s an awful mystery, of why people act the way they do, why they think harming so many innocents is a good idea, why this happened at all… and there are no answers. There is no sense to be made. No way to understand, and so, the mind spins on….
Eugene would speak of the philosophy of India. I have been learning that, according to one school of Indian thought, we are now in the middle of the Kali Yuga, the period of time when everything falls apart and is destroyed, so that it can be created again. This age supposedly started about 5,000 years ago, and is supposed to last 432,000 years. It leads one to think that things may be challenging and chaotic for some time to come.
And so, we have a choice to make.
We can either give in to the despair of the time and give up, or, we can recognize that we, as bringers of light and delight, of magic and mystery, are here now for a reason. And we can double down and rise up, recommitting ourselves to our practices, whether we practice magic, music, art, or something else entirely. We dive deep and reach way in, and find the spark of consciousness that burns in each one of us, and we can remember.
We can remember those who lost their lives on that terrible day, and on all the other terrible days before that one. We can remember the courage and the strength of all those who helped in those minutes, hours and days right afterwards. We can remember the families of all those affected. And in the act of remembering, we can re-member. We can begin to put it all back together again. Like the phoenix, we rise.
And that’s where the real magic can happen.
In these times of challenge, we need, more than ever, to tap into our own light within, to grow our roots down and branches up, connecting with the other trees in our forest, with the other people in our communities, with those who need us now.
May we turn the difficulties into compost and mulch to help us grow, to get us through the dark Winter ahead. May we hold fast to the light as it fades, knowing it will return in the Spring. May we not be afraid of the dark, for in the dark, there is mystery, power and magic…
Yours in the shadow and the light,
Abigail
“You are the magician in your own life.
You are the agent of transformation, your own transformation.”
— Eugene Burger
In this month’s MuseLetter you will see what I consider the best video of Eugene I’ve seen in recent years.
Eugene will inspire you to move beyond your Fear and summon your Courage. This is Eugene at his most inspirational.
Thank you to Julian James for this inspired video.
Thank you “Animated Conjuror†for the Eugene images.
People are asking, “How can we help keep Eugene’s magic and his memory alive for future students of the art?†Here is one easy way:
The Eugene Burger Legacy Fund
Go here: http://www.magicalwisdom.com/eugene
Master Magician Eugene Burger touched the lives of thousands of people — and his teachings have reached countless more. You can preserve Eugene’s legacy while helping talented magicians learn the art and craft of magic at the school Eugene most loved.
The Estate of Eugene Burger — administered by Michael Burke and Robert Charles in Chicago, and following Eugene’s wishes — has founded a special Eugene Burger Legacy Fund at the McBride Magic & Mystery School in Las Vegas.
Every dollar of your gift will help talented magicians carry forth Eugene’s legacy by creating opportunities for them to study and learn with Eugene’s friends and co-teachers: Â Jeff McBride, Lawrence Hass, Tobias Beckwith, and the rest of the teaching team at the Magic & Mystery School.
On behalf of the Estate of Eugene Burger and on behalf of the Faculty and Staff of the Magic & Mystery School, thank you for honoring Eugene in this way — and for making a big difference in the life of a deserving magician who will “grow in the art of magic” because of your generosity.
Michael Burke and Robert Charles
The Estate of Eugene Burger
Lawrence Hass, Ph.D.
Associate Dean, Magic & Mystery School
WONDERGROUND NEWS!
Thursday Oct 19th
3 GREAT shows! One night only!
WWW.VEGASWONDERGROUND.COM
I think we might set a world record for the most magicians performing in one area on one special night!
Over 70 magicians from our McBride Magic & Mystery School will attend this month’s show! It will be beyond imagination!
October 19th, 2017
7:30 PMÂ -Â Â Â Strolling Magic & Close up
8:00 PMÂ Â -Â Â Â Tim Wise is your MC
Jeff McBride – Manipulations Supreme
Chris Funk – Progressive Magic Theater
Cody Clark – Fringe Magic!
Payne – Always a Mystery to Remember!
Will Bradshaw – A Great way to Escape Reality
9:00 PMÂ -Â Â Close-up & Strolling Magic Show
Will Bradshaw is your MC
Tim Wise – At the WONDER-BAR
Chris Funk – Brings it on!
Mysto – Delightful Deceptions
Cody – Charming Conjuring
Payne – Mirthful Mysteries – MONEY MAKER
Plus 70 of the Mystery School Magicians!
10:00 PMÂ -Â Â Jeff McBride IS YOUR MC
Stephanie and Mylissa – Mind & Body Benders!
Chris Funk – Bring on the Funk!
Circe – The Enchantress from Cuba!
Tim Wise – Ready, Aim & Fire!
Mysto – Flights of Fancy
Xavier Mortimer! – Las Vegas Star!
ALL THIS PLUS!
Our fabulous host Simone Marron – “Queen Bee of the Las Vegas magic scene!â€Â Photography by Sheryl Garrett, Bar Magic with Scott Steelfyre, Corey Rubino, Taylor Lloyd, New World Rhythmatism Belly Dancers, Guest Belly Dance Stars, Psychic Sideshow with Alan Scott, live art with Areeya – and many more surprises and special celebrity guests.
That’s it for this week.
I look forward to seeing you at Wonderground, on Mystery School Monday ( at http://www.mcbridemagic.tv), or at one of our events here in Las Vegas soon!
Best wishes for a magical October.
Sincerely,
Jeff McBride
Eugene’s Legacy
Lawrence Hass, Ph.D., Associate Dean
As I write this, the sunny heat of August has become the cool air and vibrant colors of late September. It is a refreshing time—the threshold of my favorite season.
And this year early autumn brings something extra to my spirit: profound appreciation for our recently departed friend, Eugene Burger. For me, the shock of his death (in early August) has passed. The deep pain of personal loss is lessening. What is in my heart, above all, are the gifts and memories, the joy of having known him.
What I would like to do in this Museletter is put some of this joy into words by expressing my sense of Eugene’s legacy. Or to be precise, his legacies, because I believe there are (at least) five truly special, distinctive gifts Eugene left for us and for magicians of the future. You might have others to add, but at this time here are the ones on my mind. Eugene gave us:
A Legacy of Excellent Magic
From the very beginning, Eugene’s vision was to perform magic that had great impact upon his audiences, and he achieved this quality over and over again. He was a world-class performer, especially in the area of close-up magic. He achieved this through a highly disciplined approach to preparation and delivery: impeccable taste in material, rigorous practice and rehearsal, no empty patter-blather, and not inflicting his magic on people until it was really ready. As Eugene taught, “When you finally think you are ready to perform something for people . . . wait another month.â€
A Legacy of Friendship
Part of Eugene’s distinctive magic is that he made everyone feel special and connected to him. He sincerely liked nearly everyone he met, and one of his super-powers was his ability to put people in contact who needed to meet or know one another. Further, Eugene created countless opportunities for many magicians, young and old alike. In his later years, he passionately talked and taught about this aspect of his great success in terms of David Devant’s saying (and poster), “All Done by Kindness.â€
A Legacy of Simplicity
Eugene lived with Zen simplicity and clarity. His apartment was lean and clean. Material things came into his life and passed out of them, usually as gifts to others. His clothing was simple and elegant. All his performing material fit in his carry-on luggage. (When I once asked how he managed this, he said, “Larry, remember: everything weighs something.â€) Eugene avoided gossip, conflict, and ego struggle. He was keenly centered “in the moment,†present and aware. When difficulties emerged, he communicated quickly and directly, going for the win-win. Yet those encounters were rare because Eugene had genuine compassion for other people’s perspectives and foibles.
A Legacy of Words
Eugene left us with an incredible literature: books, essays, columns, and video blogs—in great quantity and of exceptional quality. He was one of the bestselling magic authors of the past thirty years, and his writings were, and continue to be, utterly transformational for magicians. Now that Eugene has died, most of us find ourselves going back to his words. To guide you to some of my favorite writings, allow me to recommend my P-E-P Talk from the 2016 Magic and Meaning Conference titled “Eugene Burger: Hidden Treasures.†Since the time of that presentation I have discovered an additional one for that list: “Notes on the Metaphysics of Magic,†the penultimate chapter of Strange Ceremonies.
A Legacy of Teaching
Eugene was a beloved teacher—a master teacher of magic. He has students all over the world, including some of the most famous names in magic. But also, starting in 1991 he worked closely and continually with Jeff McBride to found, develop, and build the Magic & Mystery School, now in its twenty-sixth year. Eugene was absolutely devoted to the School’s mission: to advance the art of magic by working with students through kindness (not cruelty) and by encouraging their personal self-expression. Indeed, Eugene’s perpetual question for all of his students was: “What do you want your magic to be?†The good news is that he left us one final book on this very topic, Teaching Magic: A Book for Students and Teachers of the Art, which will be released on October 23rd by my Theory and Art of Magic Press.
Eugene Burger: what a remarkable person he was! How lucky we are to have known him! And rest assured: the McBride Magic & Mystery School is plunging forward in the direction Eugene helped define—making changes to adapt to his loss and making many plans for new growth.
Eugene wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.
Contact:Tobias Beckwith
Magic Teacher Schools Penn & Teller!
Las Vegas – September 8, 2017: Last night on the CW, while becoming only the 8th performer of this season’s Fool Us to actually fool Penn & Teller, master magic teacher Jeff McBride told the pair that, “Magic is not always a puzzle to be solved, but sometimes a mystery to be experienced.” McBride proceeded to fool them completely with one of his signature pieces, known as “Rainmaker,†which conveys the story of a mysterious unseen force that causes two metal bowls to fill and refill with seemingly endless amounts of water.
McBride is a teacher of the art of magic and has been wowing Las Vegas audiences since he first appeared at Caesar’s Palace with Diana Ross back in the 1980’s. He became one of Las Vegas’ youngest stars when he headlined Le Bal de Moulin Rouge Revue at The Las Vegas Hilton when he was only 25. McBride headlined Caesars Magical Empire, and for the past 9 years has hosted his own magic nightclub, Jeff McBride’s WONDERGROUND in Las Vegas.
McBride’s Magic & Mystery School was founded in 1991. The school is a “Real life Hogwarts” that teaches stage magic and close up magic to hundreds of professional magicians from all around the world. Students include A.G.T. winner Mat Franco. Designated “the world’s most prestigious magic school,” by BBC TV, McBride’s School is a major influence on the art of magic around the world.
Most recently, McBride has returned from a two-month, 5-city tour of China with his Las Vegas Magic Stars show, conceived and produced in concert with illusionist Greg Gleason. The show is scheduled to return to touring early in 2018.
What’s next for McBride? “At this point, I’m focusing mostly on our magic school and bringing quality magic to audiences who wouldn’t otherwise receive it. I’ve been strongly inspired by my late teacher (and Dean of our School for 26 years), Eugene Burger. Eugene said, ‘The enchantments of magic point beyond mere illusion to the Great Mystery of life, the eternal transformation of life, death and rebirth.’â€
# # # # #
Millions of viewers around the world witnessed Jeff McBride on Penn & Teller’s “Fool Us“. Were they fooled? You bet they were! Now, magic lovers around the world are wondering where and how they can study with Jeff to learn his wonderful magic.
Remember our last Museletter? We told you all about:
The McBride Masterpiece Series
More info here: http://www.magicalwisdom.com/masterpieces
And about
“Jeff McBride’s Inner Circle Mentoringâ€
If you’re ready to really take your magic to the next level, contact Abigail to schedule your sessions now.
Important: Please contact Abigail (Abigail@mcbridemagic.com) to get scheduled for your sessions, or with any questions.
Also: Please note that we have 3 or 4 spots left for this year’s Magic & Meaning Conference. We’ve recently spent quite a lot of time and effort planning the details of the conference, and it promises to be something really special. If you’ve already signed up, do make sure you’ve also reserved your hotel room. Our discount rate is only good until September 22.
The Biggest Magic Party in Las Vegas -Â 3 Nonstop shows, one night only!
WONDERGROUND September 21st, 2017
7:30pm   Allen Scott will do tarot readings in the “art area” before and after the close-up shows by Kent Axell, Will Bradshaw, Tim Shegitz, Jeff McBride, and Ryan Brown
8:00pm   Tim Wise is your MC
Jose Herrara -Â Amazing Illusions
Tim Shegitz – Magic & Comedy
Jeff McBride – Always a Wonder to Remember
Kent Axell – Magic & the Mind
Will Bradshaw – Street Magic Sensations
Krystal Lawrence – Femme Fatal
Ryan Brown – Lord and Master of the Rings!
 9:00pm
Krystal Lawrence – Close up
Jeff McBride – The Magical Medicine Show
Steelfyre – Die-namic Dice-ceptions
Kent Axell – Magic and Mind reading
10:00pm    Jeff McBride is your MC
Tim Wise – The Host with the Magical Most
Jose Herrara – Exotic Illusion
CG Ryche – Drummagic!
Allen Abbott – Faster than your eye!
Will Bradshaw – Moonlight on The Moulin Rouge
Ryan Brown – Card Manipulation Supreme!
PLUS:  Photography by Sheryl Garrett, Bar Magic with Zack Pattee, Scott Steelfyre, Corey Rubino, Taylor Lloyd, New World Rhythmatism Belly Dancers, Guest Belly Dance Stars, Psychic Sideshow with Alan Scott, live art with Areeya – and many more surprises and special celebrity guests
That’s it for this week.
I look forward to seeing you at Wonderground, on Monday Night Mysteries, or at one of our events here in Las Vegas soon!
Best wishes for a magical September.
Sincerely,
Jeff McBride