Mind Waves Magic Trick: Mind Reading, Symbols and an Impossible Kicker

What if I told you that one of the strongest mind-reading effects I've created is also one of the easiest to perform?

No complicated sleight of hand.

No difficult moves to remember.

You can concentrate almost entirely on the person in front of you.

And just when they think the effect is over…

BANG.

Something else happens that makes them think:

“Wait… WHAT?!”

That's Mind Waves.

What Is the Mind Waves Magic Trick?

Mind Waves is, at its heart, a mind-reading effect using a specially designed deck of symbol cards.

Instead of traditional playing cards, the deck contains recognisable symbols.

You'll find things such as houses, leaves, smiley faces and lightning bolts, along with familiar ESP symbols including the circle, cross, wavy lines, square and star.

That was important to me.

I didn't want the presentation to feel like another:

“You're thinking of the Seven of Diamonds.”

I wanted something that felt more like genuine mind reading.

Why I Replaced Playing Cards With Symbols

Imagine somebody is thinking of a house.

Rather than simply announcing their card, I can start describing the thought.

“You're thinking of something quite large…”

“It's something you see regularly…”

“I'm getting the impression of somewhere you might live…”

“You're thinking of a house.”

That gives me much more scope for presentation.

The symbol isn't simply a card to identify.

It becomes a thought to reveal.

And that was one of the first things I wanted to achieve with Mind Waves.

Where Did the Idea for Mind Waves Come From?

Mind Waves has its roots in the classic Cheek to Cheek principle.

Cheek to Cheek is a wonderful idea that's been used by magicians for many years.

I loved the basic principle, but I started asking myself:

“What could I do differently with it?”

Could I move away from traditional playing cards?

Could I make it feel more like mentalism?

Could I add another layer?

Could I create something that was incredibly easy to perform but still produced a really strong reaction?

That's where Mind Waves started.

How Does Mind Waves Look to the Audience?

Here's the basic effect.

You introduce a deck containing different symbols.

The spectator can mix the cards.

The deck is divided and a symbol is selected.

They don't tell you what they've chosen.

You then create what I jokingly call the Crazy Shuffle.

Cards are apparently mixed face up and face down into a complete mess.

Some are facing one way.

Some are facing the other.

Everything looks chaotic.

The spectator's selected symbol is placed into the middle of this mixed-up deck.

And then the mind reading begins.

First You Read Their Mind…

This is where Mind Waves becomes much more than a traditional card trick for me.

The spectator is concentrating on their symbol.

You start revealing information.

Perhaps it's something natural.

Perhaps it's an object.

Perhaps it's something large.

You can gradually build the revelation until you finally name exactly what they're thinking of.

That's the first magical moment.

You've apparently read their mind.

At that point, the trick could finish.

But it doesn't.

…Then Comes the Second Impossible Moment

This is my favourite part.

Remember the deck?

The one that was apparently completely mixed face up and face down?

You return to it.

The spectator can tap the deck.

You spread the cards across the table.

And something impossible has happened.

Every card is now facing the same way…

except one.

One symbol is face up.

Their symbol.

That's where you get that second reaction.

The mind reading gets the first reaction.

Then the impossible deck gives you the:

“Hang on… WHAT just happened?!”

And that's exactly the sort of magic I love creating.

Why the Time Misdirection Makes Mind Waves Stronger

There's another reason I like the structure of Mind Waves.

Between apparently mixing the deck and revealing its impossible condition, you spend time concentrating on the spectator.

You're talking to them.

You're apparently reading their mind.

You're revealing their thought.

The focus has completely moved away from the cards.

That's time misdirection.

In the spectator's memory, the last time they really paid attention to the deck it was a complete mess.

Face up.

Face down.

Cards everywhere.

Then, perhaps a minute or two later, you return to it.

Suddenly everything has fixed itself.

Except for their selection.

That gap makes the final revelation feel even more impossible.

The Secret Marking System in Mind Waves

One of the additions I built into Mind Waves is a marking system.

I wanted the marks to be extremely easy for the performer to read while remaining completely unobtrusive to the spectator.

And when I say easy to read, I mean easy.

I'm at the age where my eyesight isn't exactly improving!

But once you know what you're looking for, the information is incredibly clear.

That's intentional.

I've never understood why a marking system needs to be so tiny that the magician needs a microscope to perform the trick.

If you're going to use a marked deck, make the marks useful!

The marking system gives you the information needed for the mind-reading presentation.

The underlying deck principle then gives you the impossible orientation kicker.

Two different methods working together to create two magical moments.

Mind Waves Is Designed Around the ESP Philosophy

If you've listened to the Mind Burp Podcast before, you'll have heard me talk about the philosophy behind Neo Magic:

ESP — Easy. Simple. Powerful.

Mind Waves fits that perfectly.

Easy to perform.

Simple for the audience to understand.

Powerful in its effect.

You don't need to concentrate on complicated sleight of hand.

You don't need to remember an enormous sequence of moves.

The clever stuff is built into the deck.

That frees you to concentrate on something far more important.

The person standing in front of you.

Self-Working Magic Doesn't Mean Self-Performing

This connects with something I've talked about before.

Just because a magic trick is easy or largely self-working doesn't mean the performance should be automatic.

Quite the opposite.

Because the method is straightforward, you've got more capacity to think about:

Eye contact.

Timing.

Misdirection.

Presentation.

Humour.

Building the mind-reading revelation.

And, most importantly, creating a connection with your participant.

That's where the real performance happens.

The Spectator Feels Involved in Everything

Another thing I particularly like about Mind Waves is how involved the spectator feels.

They've handled cards.

They've mixed them.

They've selected a symbol.

They've seen the deck apparently mixed into complete chaos.

They can even be involved in the final magical moment.

Mind Waves isn't designed as a deck that you hand to somebody afterwards and say:

“Go on then, examine everything.”

But that's not really how the experience feels.

From the spectator's perspective, they've already been involved throughout.

That's an important difference.

You Can Learn Mind Waves Very Quickly

When I demonstrate Mind Waves, I often tell people that the basic mechanics can be learned incredibly quickly.

Potentially within a minute.

That's not marketing hype about somebody becoming a master mentalist in 60 seconds!

It simply means the mechanical part isn't difficult.

You can learn what the deck does very quickly.

Then you can spend your time developing the part that really matters:

how YOU want to present it.

One Deck, Lots of Possibilities

This is another area where Mind Waves has surprised me.

When I originally created it, I had my main routine.

Then people started sending me ideas.

And more ideas.

And more ideas.

Different handlings.

Different presentations.

Different ways of using the symbols.

I've added several of these ideas to the explanation material for Mind Waves, and I'm planning a separate Mind Burp Podcast episode exploring some of my favourite alternative handlings.

Because the deck contains familiar ESP symbols, there's also scope for routines that go beyond the standard Mind Waves presentation.

You can start experimenting with packet tricks, mentalism routines and other ideas.

And I love that.

Sometimes Your Customers Continue the Creative Process

This is something I've increasingly realised with both Neo Magic and Mind Burp Games.

Releasing something doesn't necessarily mean you've finished creating it.

Sometimes you've simply released the starting point.

A magician buys Mind Waves.

They perform it.

Then they think:

“I wonder if I could do this…”

They send the idea to me.

I try it.

I love it.

Then somebody else develops that idea again.

That's how magic evolves.

And it's one of the things I really enjoy about having a community around the things I create.

Is Mind Waves Good for Walk-Around Magic?

For me, yes.

It's compact.

It's visual.

The premise is incredibly easy for an audience to understand.

It doesn't require a table full of props.

And the basic reset is relatively quick.

I've used Mind Waves at magic conventions, lectures, the UK Games Expo and other events.

It's the sort of effect where you can get straight into the presentation without spending five minutes explaining what the spectator has to do.

And that's important for commercial magic.

Why Mind Waves Became One of My Bestsellers

Mind Waves has consistently been one of my strongest-selling effects at conventions.

I think there are several reasons.

It's easy.

It's different from a standard playing-card trick.

It combines mind reading with visual magic.

It comes with a complete custom deck.

And, most importantly, the effect is incredibly easy to explain.

Someone thinks of a symbol.

You reveal what they're thinking.

Then their symbol becomes the only face-up card in an apparently mixed-up deck.

That's it.

You understand the effect immediately.

Simple Magic Can Still Be Powerful Magic

That's probably the biggest lesson I take from Mind Waves.

The method doesn't have to be difficult for the experience to be powerful.

Your spectator doesn't care whether you've spent ten years learning a particular sleight.

They care about what just happened to them.

You apparently entered their mind.

You revealed their thought.

Then something impossible happened to the deck.

That's their experience.

And that's what matters.

Want to See Mind Waves in Action?

If you want to see exactly what Mind Waves looks like, you can watch the performance and find full details on the Mind Waves page at Neo Magic.

The set includes the custom Mind Waves deck together with written and video instructions, and I've continued adding additional ideas and handlings since its original release.

And if you already own Mind Waves and you've developed your own handling or presentation, send it to me.

I'd love to see it.

You might even hear it discussed in a future Mind Burp Podcast episode.

Because sometimes one person's idea creates somebody else's Mind Burp moment.

And then we're off again.

Vinny