“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” —John Fitzgerald Kennedy
In this Museletter:
Hello magical friends,
Here we are, fast approaching my favorite time of year, when, for one day, we turn our awareness to the magic of gratitude and thankfulness. When I was growing up, there was a practice around my family’s Thanksgiving dinner table, that during the meal, each person would have a chance to talk about what they were thankful for. Sometimes, the lists were rather mundane: a nice dinner, having the whole family together, a break from school. Sometimes, the lists were more special, a good outcome after surgery, acceptance into the hoped-for school, a well-deserved promotion. I can remember a particularly funny moment when my sister expressed how thankful she was for the new bike she was going to get during the upcoming holidays….
“He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.” —Epictetus
Thanksgiving, the time of harvest and abundance is a time to see how much we have, to know that we have enough to make it through the dark times ahead, and to share with family and friends, and with those whose harvests were less bountiful than ours. Gratitude, and an awareness of how much we have makes us feel full, and when we feel full, we want to give back, either by lending a hand at a soup kitchen or homeless shelter, maybe offering a free show, or by making a donation to a favorite charity (me, personally, I like Farm Sanctuary: http://www.farmsanctuary.org). There is something very inspiring about helping others; it’s a surefire way for me to improve my mood and lift my spirits as well.
“We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.” —Thornton Wilder
I really do think there is something magical about gratitude and thankfulness. Gratitude is the key that opens the door for abundance and grace to enter. By focusing on what is good, on the gifts we already have, we magnify and amplify them. Robert Emmons, professor of Psychology at the University of California at Davis, has been engaged in the scientific study of gratitude for over a decade, and his work consistently shows that people who consciously acquire an “attitude of gratitude” experience multiple advantages. Check it out here: http://gratitudepower.net/science.htm
“Who does not thank for little will not thank for much.” —Estonian Proverb
One of my favorite tools is the gratitude list, where I start with A and go through to Z, coming up with something to be grateful about for each letter of the alphabet… and of course, my gratitude on the letter J is always for Jeff. We wish you a bountiful harvest and a magical thanksgiving.
Abigail & Jeff
P.S. Some of our new friends were asking about my music. You can find my CDs here:
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/asmcbride
and more of my writings are available here:
http://www.spinnersweb.net
The Commando Show and Survival Tips
Learn how to arrange your show to become a “commando show,” the show that you can do ANYWHERE at ANYTIME! In this lecture from Magic in the Rockies, Jeff shares his real world methods for packing small, with a portable show that plays big. Not only will you learn great magic effects, but also the psychology and philosophy behind them. Make your magic more powerful and practical. Jeff also offers us sage advice and survival tips to keep you alive on the front lines of magic.
From Tobias
And along with all of the other good things to be grateful for around this time of year, we have our good health and good friends. Some of you may have been aware that our good friend and Mystery School faculty member, George Parker, was recently in quite a bad car accident. We’re all very pleased to hear that he is healing well… and almost ready to start practicing his sleight-of-hand once again!
Speaking of faculty — we are blessed to have such a great group of talented friends on the faculty… both on a full-time basis, and as special guests. Every year Ross Johnson makes time in his schedule to share with our Master Class for Mentalism — and this year I hear he has agreed to share the real work behind his amazing Question & Answer act. This is stuff that has never appeared in print or on video — the killer closer of his act which he has been refining — and keeping as his own secret weapon — for years. We still have a couple of slots left in the mentalism class. I’d advise that you sign up quickly, though, as the class is likely to be sold out within the next few days. We’re exceedingly grateful that Ross is willing to work with us each year.
We are also blessed with another wonderful guest teacher this year. Ricardo Rosenkranz, M. D., from the faculty of the medical school at Northwestern University, is helping to create a whole new approach for our Magic & Medicine event. Larry Hass & Eugene Burger have been working closely with Ricardo, and through his work we have managed to obtain CME credit for the class for the first time. We know you’ll love both Ricardo and the new material.
Before I end this, I just wanted to express our special thanks to our former student and sometime staff member, Jay Fortune. Jeff will be attending the International Festival of Magic in London during the middle of this month…and Jay has kindly agreed to arrange a full-on “McBride Magic Experience” the following weekend in Bristol. Visit Jeff’s calendar and click the links to learn more about those events.
We hope you will each find that your world’s are as filled to the brim with things that inspire your gratitude. Have a magical month!
Tobias Beckwith
tobias@yourmagic.com
In this Museletter:
- Two secrets to achieving your dreams
- Kevin James: An Inspiration
- McBrideMagic.tv and Wonderground Updates
- Eugene Burger’s Chicago Tapes now online
- Johnny Thompson’s hot new music video
Greetings my friends,
Focus is a big part of reaching your goals. Today I will share a few secrets to achieving your dreams.
Are you the best in the world at what do?
I read a book called From Good to Great by Jim Collins. You should read it too. The book changed the direction of my life …for reasons I will tell you at the end of this letter…. Right now I want to introduce you to a most inspiring friend!
Could this be the world’s greatest magician?
Google thinks so! So does YouTube!
Kevin James has just about as many “hits†as the very best of them!
Millions and millions of people witnessed Kevin’s original magic on America’s Got Talent. I am honored that I get to tour the world in the same show with Kevin. He is a modern master of magical art and one of the stars of The Illusionists.
Kevin’s uncompromising commitment to creating 100% original magic is a lesson to all of us. He is continually researching and refining his inventions to go beyond the rest… to be the BEST.
We did a one-hour episode with Kevin as a special guest on Mystery School Monday not long ago:
Here’s a snippet of my recent interview with Kevin:
Jeff: How did America’s Got Talent change your life?
Kevin: America’s Got Talent gave me lots of grey hair but if I had a show to promote, I would do it again. They like to put you in very stressful situations as it makes for good TV. It is also a very vulnerable position to put yourself into. I was very lucky that things turned out the way they did. My Operation effect went viral on YouTube and I am still getting work from it. I actually was asked to perform at the White House from the America’s Got Talent videos on YouTube.
Jeff: What has been the biggest TV audience to see your show?
Kevin: I was asked to perform on a TV show in Indonesia, which also came from YouTube. As I am getting ready to walk onstage the producer told me that it is a live show and if anything goes wrong just get through it. We cannot stop and reshoot it. There were 1,000 people in the studio to give a nice energy to the taping. I went on and everything went well. As I was packing up I asked him how many people just saw this live transmission. He said that there are only 3 channels in Indonesia, this is prime time, this is the most popular show, he estimate that 200 million people just saw my act. The next day at the airport we really got recognized, so I think his calculations were right.
Jeff: What is the best part about touring the world with your show?
Kevin: I really feel blessed that I can share my magic and ideas with people all over the globe. Getting to travel and make people happy is the best job in the world. I am grateful and have no regrets.
Read the rest of the interview in the Secret Art Journal>>
Over 100 hours of FREE magic lessons await you! We go live every Monday at 7PM Pacific time… Join the world’s greatest magic teachers for the world’s only FREE interactive magic learning experience.
Wonderground News
Each month we host the biggest and best magic party in Las Vegas. And you are invited!
See the greatest line up EVER at this week’s event.
The Mystery School teachers and students will all attend and many will perform.
Go to VegasWonderground.com for all the information. Doors open at 7pm for dinner seating. An entire evening of close-up, stage and parlor magic (and belly dancers!) for $10.
Before I go, let me tell you what I discovered from reading From Good to Great. Jim asks the reader this question… “What in the world can you do better than anyone in the world?â€Â I thought about this and realized that our team could really create the very best magic school in the world. Take a look at what we are offering this year and next: http://magicalwisdom.com/events
We are in the process of making our school better and better every day! You will see for yourself when we roll out the red carpet for you here in Vegas or online at McBrideMagic.tv.
So, my friends, until we meet online or at our school… remember that you CAN be the best at one thing!
Jeff
Bryce’s Corner on the Web
I have two bits of exciting news…
The Chicago Tapes
First, we have finally released Eugene Burger’s Chicago Tapes as online Lessons. The DVDs are now completely sold out (OK, I think we may have one set left). While the DVDs were only available as a set, I’ve broken them into individual Lessons, but if you want the Chicago Visions book, you’ll still need to buy the entire set. Here are the links:
Johnny Thompson’s Music Video
I was driving somewhere with Johnny a year or two ago and he asked if I wanted to listen to his new muscal recording. Now, I know Johnny played in the Harmonicats earlier in his carrer and wrote musical scores for quite a few famous magicians, but I didn’t realize he was still involved in the music business. Needless to say, I was completely flipped out by how cool it was. Actually, it was kinda hard to get out of my head!
At that time Johnny wasn’t quite sure where it was all going to go.  Well, I found out a few days ago when he called and said they had made it into a music video. It’s already getting around and he’s really hoping it will go viral.  I suspect it will.
Check it out here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgLZZAa_JuA
In case you don’t know about Johnny already, he’s one of the greatest magicians of our time and has been an influence on almost every magician working in Las Vegas, and around the world, today.  You can learn more about The Great Tomsoni and Co. at their website:
Dear Friends:
We have just passed the Fall Equinox, and we enter the magical month of October. As summer ends and the days begin to grow shorter, we gather in the harvest of our activities over the past few months, have a look at where we are in our lives, and consider what sort of changes we might wish to make for the future. Our guest author this month is George Parker. George is one of our faculty members and advisors at the Magic & Mystery School. When he is not working with us, he is a “Corporate Alchemist,†performing his magic across Europe in order to help companies transform themselves. Today he shares a bit of his wisdom about magic and transformation with us here:
As a magician, I have had numerous conversations about what is real and what isn’t real in my shows. To me, there is no hard black line that separates fact from fiction. Our brain doesn’t even distinguish tangible reality from fantasy. I will not tire you with the scientific background of this claim. Instead, I’ll illustrate it with a simple example. What happens to you when you THINK you lost your wallet? Adrenaline and cortisol (a stress hormone) are produced: very REAL substances. In turn, they will induce new, mostly panicky, thoughts. Of course, ninety-nine out of a hundred times, you have just misplaced your wallet; it’s not REALLY gone. The whole experience was produced by yourself.
From a magical point of view, the insight that our thoughts produce tangible reality and the other way around, is very useful. We can help restore the broken connection between imagination and tangible reality. We can help people to envision a future they want and make that image very real in their minds — only to stimulate them to connect that image to current reality. We can even invite them to time-travel and re-write their biography, only to end up with a better person today. My wife, Marja, and I recently did this exercise. She wanted to be a little bit more of an extravert. To do that, she traveled back in time (in her mind), and made up some new events that were much more supportive of the extravert personality trait she wanted to develop. She started to feel better immediately. For me, the most exciting part was her question: and who were YOU in my new timeline? This isn’t about denying or ignoring important events. It’s about what you do with them once you’ve processed them.
What do you love and hate about your past? How would you edit your processed past in order to end up with something you need today?
Aaaaahh, isn’t magic in its essence the wonderful art of transformation?!
I recently added two new Virtual Lessons from Jeff:
I’m currently working on another lecture from Jeff and a large collection of material from Eugene. You’ll be the first to know when it’s ready.
As I write this, Jeff McBride is on a plane flying back from Panama, where he has just wound up his month-long tour with The Illusionists in South America. He’ll be home just long enough to unpack and repack his bags before heading off to a very special weekend in Louisville, Kentucky. Our friend Ray Smerlin, of Smerlin Entertainment, has arranged a full on “McBride Magic Experience,†for Saturday and Sunday, preceded by two performances by Jeff on the stages at the city’s “First Friday celebration.Tickets for the show and lecture on Saturday and for Jeff’s workshop Sunday afternoon are going fast…so be sure and get yours now if you are in the Louisville area:
http://smerlinentertainment.com/Press/JeffMcBride1005.htm
October is a VERY full month here at the McBride Magic & Mystery School — and most of the events scheduled are nearly filled…but we do have one or two slots left for each one. So check out the schedule and make your reservations now for these and future classes and events:
http://www.magicalwisdom.com/
As always, please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have questions about any of our events… or about booking Jeff McBride for talks, performances or our “McBride Magic Experience.â€
Best wishes for a wonderful month of magic!
Sincerely,
Tobias Beckwith
tobias@yourmagic.com
The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: if there is any reaction, both are transformed.
— Carl Jung
Below is a new photo of the Mystery School Faculty, by our friend and photographer extraordinaire, Richard Faverty!
Top row: Tobias Beckwith, Jeff McBride, Abbi McBride, Dr. Larry Hass
Front row: Bryce Kuhlman, Eugene Burger, George Parker
One of the reasons I started Mystery School was to share personal time with Eugene Burger. Perhaps it was selfish, but this opportunity for us to gather with Eugene and other top minds in magic has inspired not only me but hundreds of magicians from all over the world! I feel that all of us at the Mystery School share similar feelings for Eugene and each other… we do this because we love it! We hope you can join us for one of our events online or in person! Every Monday night we get together for a new magic meeting and class, and you are invited. It won’t cost you a penny. Just point your web-browser to www.mcbridemagic.tv.
Our guest writer this week is filmmaker Michael Caplan, whose latest work is A Magical Vision, a documentary all about our Dean, Eugene Burger:
After award winning festival screenings from Chicago to India and over 14,000 online viewings, A Magical Vision is getting its premiere DVD release. A Magical Vision spotlights Eugene Burger — his magic, his philosophy, and his influence on the art of magic. For Museletter subscribers, Eugene Burger hardly needs an introduction. That said, Eugene is a far-sighted philosopher and magician who is considered one of the great teachers of the magical arts. Eugene has spent twenty-five years speaking to magicians, academics, and the general public about the experience of magic. Advocating a return to magic’s shamanistic, healing traditions, Eugene’s “magic tricks†seek to evoke the feelings of awe and transcendence that is lacking in most modern magic…
The film is Eugene’s journey. It began in 1940s Chicago, a city already renowned as the center of classic magic performance. Yale Divinity School followed, leading Eugene to the world of Asian mysticism. From there came the creation of Hauntings, a tribute to the spirit theatre of the 19th century, and the gore of the Bizarre Magick movement. Today Eugene’s performances and lectures draw inspiration from the mythology of India to the Buddhism of magical theory.
The DVD is now available at Montrose Pictures for $19.99. Â It was a labor of love for me to make and I’m so pleased to finally share it with you.
Thanks, Michael, for the article and for your wonderful film!
I get asked that a lot! I LOVE touring, but I do get a bit homesick. I miss Abbi and being with all of my friends at the Mystery School. That is why we have filled the fall season with events — to keep me home in Las Vegas! If you want to plan a “magic study vacation” in Las Vegas…October and November are full of great events for you to attend:
We now have an English language version of the video trailer for The Illusionists. Enjoy!
I’ll be in Louisville, KY for a 2 day event, performing my full evening show plus a 2 hour lecture and a full day MCBRIDE SUPER SESSION. Check it out here.
The biggest magic party in Las Vegas happens every 3rd Thursday. You can join us live or watch online at www.mcbridemagic.tv. See our line-up for this month at www.VegasWonderground.com.
In October, I will have a few days to meet with students of magic, just like you, who want to get that personal touch. Skype Session information is here.
You can find me almost every day or even late evenings (after my shows) sharing magic and conversation with my friends at my web-station at www.mcbridemagic.tv. I hope you’ll stop over there when you can to say “hello!” There’s always something interesting going on.
Your friend in the art of mystery,
Jeff McBride