Setting Goals and Taking Action

Action is the foundational key to all success.

–Pablo Picasso

Today, my friends, I share with you some of the insights I’ve learned, to help my dreams turn into realities.

You see, dreams are intangible… to make them real you have to take action.

This year can be a breakthrough year for you… but you need to know how to break through!

Master Bruce Lee helped many of his students break through to a higher level of excellence.  Let’s take a look at his action steps.

One of my favorite quotes is:

“You can do ANYTHING  you want… you just can’t do EVERYTHING  you want.” 

The path to mastery is a path of focus. Some of us are very fortunate to have found coaches, mentors and guides to help us on the path towards mastery.

Over the years, I have helped many of our friends and students focus on their goals and take action steps to achieve them.

Why do I do this? Quite simply…  I LOVE IT!

It is a joy to help people enrich their lives and empower their visions.

Here are a few practical articles that I highly recommend you read. After reading them…take the action steps to transform your dreams into goals, and your goals into reality.

Step #1- Get Sage Advice:

Lynn Miner is a real wizard. He is the new “Director of Development” for our school and is VERY wise in the ways of helping people make positive changes in their lives.

Lynn just wrote an exciting essay that has some impressive action steps for you to consider taking!

http://secretartjournal.com/hello-2016-from-lynn-miner/ 

Another one of the quotes I live by is-

“A goal is a DREAM with a deadline.” 

Step #2 – Get your goals on paper!

Here is a very real and simple exercise for you to make a huge difference in your life:

Did you know that you are 42% more likely to achieve your goals just by writing them down!

Read this!

http://elitedaily.com/money/writing-down-your-goals/1068863/

Our friend Mat Franco had a goal; he wanted to win AMERICA’S GOT TALENT. How did he do that? Focus and practice!

Refer to Master Bruce Lee’s chart at the start of this article! Here’s a photo of Mat and Jan Rouven at a recent WONDERGROUND show; come join us!

 

My Recent Interview about Vegas Magic

http://tinyurl.com/jzansy2

World Tour News

Yes, the BIG year is here — our 25th Anniversary of Mystery School! Last year, we set a goal of creating a world tour. This year we go on that world tour… and it is all to meet you! Read on to see how we can meet you on tour.

 McBride’s Magic & Mystery School Week at The Magic Castle: January 18-24, 2016

We take over the entire Magic Castle… every room, every trick, every night!

We are also hosting a very special “members only” event on Saturday afternoon, January 23rd

For all the details: http://www.magiccastle.com/now_appearing/

Columbus MAGI-FEST- Jan 28-31, 2016

One of the GREAT American conventions. Start the year off with a blast of magical inspiration.

For more info on this amazing event, go to: http://magifest.org

UK Tour: February 19 – March 7, 2016

We kick off the UK tour in BLACKPOOL at the largest magic convention ever held!

Larry Hass, Eugene Burger and I will lecture and perform, then tour the UK.

Our dear friend and master magician Jay Fortune has done a great job lining up some VERY special UK events for our world tour.

http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/mystery-school-focus-on-parlour-stage-magic-tickets-18796824809

Master Class UK

Mario Morris and Lady V will host our 3 day Master Class

https://www.schoolofbusking.com/3-day-master-class-copy/

CAM Convention in Quebec – April 21-24, 2016

I’m looking forward to seeing many of my Canadian friends soon! I will be at the CAM convention!

http://cammagic.org

When You Visit Las Vegas, Visit The Mystery School

Being the 25th Anniversary year of our Mystery School, I have only a limited amount of time to work with private students. You can reserve time here:

http://www.magicalwisdom.com/about/private_sessions

You can also get info here for my MCBRIDE MASTERPIECE SERIES in Vegas.

http://www.magicalwisdom.com/masterpieces

WONDERGROUND NEWS… one night only!

THURSDAY JANUARY 21st, 2016

-You are invited to the “Biggest Magic Party in Vegas!”

www.vegaswonderground.com

“The Center of the Las Vegas Magic Community”

Photo Credit: SHERYL GARRETT –

“Tim Wise, chilling with the lovely magical ladies at WONDERGROUND”

Join us for a magical night!

JANUARY 2016

8PM – Will Bradshaw MC

Tim Wise – Large and in Charge!

James Kelsey -  Street magic goes indoors!

Martin Brock – Denmark’s New Star of Magic!

Chris Randall – New magic for TV’s Masters of Illusion

Dave Johnson – He will make you laugh and fool you!

9PM Christian Diamond MC

SANTIAGO – The Storyteller Mage

James Kelsey – An Eye Popping Parlor Performance

Steelfyre – The Enigmatist & his Cabinet of Curiosities

Chris Randall – Close-up Magic Originals

10PM Tim Wise MC

Martin Brock – International Magic & Variety

Chris Randall – a NEW illusion for TV!

Scott Land – The Puppet Man & Master of Marionettes!

Xavier Mortimer – He debuts a new routine from his show!

 

PLUS: Bar Magic with Zack Pattee and Scott Steelfyre, Iam Creed, and Randilyn, Photography with Sheryl Garrett.

Belly Dancers, Psychic Sideshow with Alan Scott, live art with Areeya and Suzanne and many more surprises and special celebrity guests!!

See you in Vegas or on the world tour,

JEFF

Want to add yourself to our schedule for the Anniversary Year?

Book a Jeff McBride Performance, Workshop or the full “McBride Magic Experience.”

http://www.mcbridemagic.com/pages/calendar.php 

Booking Contact: Tobias Beckwith / tobias@yourmagic.com

Information on Classes & private sessions: Abbi McBride (702) 450-0021

Method and Effect

The magic of drama is infinitely more powerful than the magic of trickery. It is as available to the conjurer as it is to the actor. The only difference is that actors take it for granted, whereas few conjurers are even aware that it exists.                                       —HENNING NELMS, Magic and Showmanship

Dear Friends:

Happy New Year to all of you, from all of us at the Magic & Mystery School! You’re in for a treat: Today’s article is by our Dean, Eugene Burger. As always, Eugene poses an interesting question for all of us. Here it is:

METHOD AND EFFECT

by Eugene Burger

This past year I received an email from Derrik A. who lives in Canada. Derrik works professionally, performing magic in a restaurant and at parties. Noting all of the exposure of magical secrets on the Internet, including the Hindu Thread which I perform, he asks: “Have you ever found yourself needing to retire any routines from your repertoire due to public exposure? I ask this because my experience is that typically once a month I am faced with a situation where an audience member will blurt out, ‘I know how he does that. I saw it online…’ during my performance.”

Interestingly, Derrik adds: “I should note that the people who behave this way are not young. The age of these people ranges from their teens to their 60’s and they seem to enjoy the opportunity of making this statement.”

My answer is no, I have never thought of retiring any effect, including the Thread trick, because it has been exposed in so many places online. As Jeff McBride often points out, the people who enjoy his performances the most are very often the ones who know exactly how the magic is methodologically accomplished. Personally, I feel that every great piece of magic has an integrity of its own and an appeal that reaches beyond knowing secrets and methods.

But there is something rather depressing here, isn’t there? As we move into the 21st century it seems that more and more emphasis is being placed on magic methods and secrets, and less emphasis is being given to magical effects. Of course, the balance between these two poles, method and effect, is constantly changing. My point, is that we are now living in a period where the balance seems to be moving steadily toward the pole of method.

Needless to say, we see this to a great extent in the many different television magic shows that are directed at little more than how the trick is done. These programs do set the cultural mindset of countless numbers of viewers. People begin to think that the really important thing about magic is how the magic is done — the method.

While the responsibility for all this may certainly exist outside me, what about my own personal responsibility for this situation? Do I have the courage to recognize that?

Let me give you an example of what I mean. Very often in the performance of our magic, we spend a lot of time getting things examined and proving that everything is fair. While this can certainly add to the dramatic power of a performance, it can also put audience members in completely analytic states of mind, where their chief concern is method, how the trick is accomplished, rather than simply enjoying the effect. Too much “proving” ends up suggesting that what makes magic interesting really is the method — and, once the method is known, magic has no further interest or value.

Cherished Gifts

― Neil Gaiman

In preparation for our impending move to Chicago, Jenny and I spent the last several months finding new homes for many of the items we’ve collected over the past 20 years together.

As part of the process, it’s become obvious what sorts of things are important to us.

We’re now using this new understanding to guide friends and family who want to give us gifts for the holidays.

We’ve narrowed it down to three main criteria. Maybe they’ll be useful to you as you make your lists… both for others and for yourself!

We have a lot of handcrafted items. For instance, my father is an expert wood craftsman. He makes everything from delicate tree ornaments to large contraptions with more gears than a wristwatch.

In addition, there are things that were chosen specifically for us. While they were purchased, instead of made, the amount of thought that went into the choice makes these items very personal. We have the other members of the Magic School faculty to thank for many such gifts.

Inspirational

Books – Movies – Art – Music

For me, this is often bleeding-edge techno gadgets… things that I can play with on the weekends to create even more interesting things.

Experiential

To us, these are the best! Not only can they live a lifetime in your memory, but they take up no space and weigh nothing.

This could be something as simple as a shared dinner or a hike. It could be for fun, for relaxing… or for learning a new skill (or honing an existing one).

I’m sure you can read between the lines… the best gifts of all (at least for us) are those that combine all three!

Happy hunting…

-Bryce

From Abigail:

It was so lovely to see so many friends at our Yule Be Amazed holiday party.  Thank you for coming out to share in the joy of the season with us!  Some of you were asking about the mulled cider we were serving, so here is the information for you.

You start with a big pot and fill it up with a gallon of organic apple cider.

(Whole foods has them on sale now for about $7).

You add a fine mesh bag

(like this one, for $5)  http://www.amazon.com/Premium-Fine-Food-Grade-Almond/dp/B00158U8DU

with 1/2 cup of organic mulling spices.  I get mine here:

https://www.frontiercoop.com/products.php?cn=Cider+Mate

(You can get a pound of it for less than $20, which is enough for four gallons worth).

Turn the heat on medium and bring to a simmer, cover and let simmer at least 20 minutes.  While it’s doing that, stir it occasionally, thinking of things that make you happy, and moments you’re especially grateful for.  Put your best wishes for the holidays and beyond into the cider….

Have a bottle of rum nearby so folks who want to can spike theirs, and enjoy!

May the warmth of our magical fellowship burn brightly through the Winter holidays and beyond into the year to come.

Happy Everything!

From Jeff:

WONDERGROUND News

” The Center of the Las Vegas Magic Community” 

Thursday December 17th, 2015 – One Night Only! Never to be Repeated!

You are invited to the biggest magic party in Las Vegas!

All Info at www.vegaswonderground.com

8PM 

Comedy Magic & Variety on stage!

Will Bradshaw – Your Master of Ceremonies

William Draven – Sideshow Magic

Steelfyre – The Keeper of Enigmas

Steve Owens - The Magic of Shadow & Light

Tim Wise – Magic Beyond Reality

9PM  

In the Diamond Parlor Room

Host  MC:  Christian Diamond

Michael Mirth – A Modern Mystic

William Draven – Offbeat Mysteries

Steve Owens – Close up originals

Chris Randall – the Las Vegas Kid!

10 PM  

Stage Extravaganza!

Your host – MC Tim Wise

Steve Owens – Award Winning Magic

Will Bradshaw – Magic in the Air

Chris Randall – Something Unusual!

Allen Abbott – Flights of Fancy

Skilldini – Masterful Manipulation

PLUS: Bar Magic with Zack Pattee and Scott Steelfyre, Iam Creed, and Randilyn

The NWR-Tribal Belly Dance Troupe, Psychic Sideshow with Alan Scott, live art with Areeya and Suzanne and many more surprises and special celebrity guests!!

Holiday Greetings from the High Seas!

Jeff

Homecoming 2015

Where we love is home,

Home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts.

–Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr., Homesick in Heaven

From Lawrence Hass, Associate Dean

Homecoming 2015 

In the fall, most every school has a Homecoming weekend: alums come back, games are played, significant events are held, old friends get together, and parties abound. The Magic & Mystery School is no exception to this great, grand tradition. Our Homecoming weekend is called the Magic and Meaning Conference, and it was held at the Sunset Station Casino in Las Vegas on October 21-24, 2015.

Indeed, the Magic and Meaning Conference isn’t just an “event” or a “conference.” It is a time and place when people from all over the world come to connect with the Mystery School’s special community and reconnect with friends from other School events and classes. It is a time and place to be with people—magicians and non-magicians alike—who love magic and care about connecting the art with larger things that matter in human life.

At the heart of the Conference are 20-minute presentations from attendees on fascinating topics related to magic. Patterned on the famous TED Talks, these are our ever-popular P-E-P Talks (Performance-Entertainment-Philosophy). This year, the Conference featured 17 PEP Talks, plus interviews with Eugene Burger, Stan Allen, and Bob Neale. In addition, our special Guest of Honor was the legendary Max Maven, who delivered a 60-minute Keynote Presentation, and who was the subject of an illuminating, playful interview with Eugene Burger and myself.

Beyond the presentations and interviews, the Conference featured very strong ensemble shows hosted by Jordan Wright, Bill Cook, and Abigail McBride. It also included special magic teaching units from Jeff McBride, Eugene Burger, and myself. Evening events included an opening night party at Jeff’s and Abigail’s House of Mystery and a grand closing party at the house of Simone Marron (the School’s Social Coordinator), with many Las Vegas magic luminaries in attendance. On Friday night, conference participants were invited to the Las Vegas Witch’s and Wizard’s Ball—a harvest season costume party and magic show event at the Olive restaurant. Before the Ball, our community came together for a Broken Wand Ceremony in memory of two departed friends, Larry Heil and Andy Paik.

By clicking HERE you can see the full schedule of our 2015 Homecoming Weekend.

One last thing to mention is that this year’s Conference inaugurated a new Magic & Mystery School award. Titled the “Eugenie Award,” it recognizes great service and friendship to the School, and its first two recipients were Max Maven and (I blush) myself. I was completely and entirely surprised! The team kept it from me, and that is pretty hard to do!

The awards themselves—shaped like gnomes with an uncanny resemblance to Eugene Burger—are hollow, and over the course of the Conference, attendees wrote notes of appreciation for the recipients and placed them inside. I am deeply honored to receive this award and by all the warm expressions of appreciation. Thank you!

The whole team is already at work on Homecoming weekend for 2016! Since next year marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Magic & Mystery School, our theme will be “Honoring Eugene Burger,” who was the guest of honor at the very first Mystery School, and our special Keynote Speaker will be Bob Fitch, the extraordinary magic director and teacher.

The 2016 Magic and Meaning Conference will be held October 19-22, 2016, in Las Vegas (at a location yet to be announced). Registration has already opened for the event, and we are extending the deadline to receive a discount off the registration cost. If you sign up by December 15, you will save $30.00 off the regular registration rate of $425.00. (Please register at www.magicalwisdom.com.)

I hope you have enjoyed this brief look at our most recent Homecoming celebration! Our deep thanks to all our friends and alums who made the pilgrimage back home . . . and some of them for the very first time! We hope that you will consider joining us next year at our Silver Anniversary celebration, which promises to be “off the hook”!

Best wishes,

Larry Hass