Agreed Laurie. The scream in a pickle jar, or actually sewing a button onto icecream are great examples of magical thinking. Such is not very far from being able to reach into your bag to find exactly what you want without fishing around, or finding a lost card my simply asking the person who chose that card to think about their card as you reach into a spread of cards and pull out one.

Also agreed that scientific thinking is exactly the opposite of magical thinking. Clearly another person who "gets it".

The only problem with that definition is that if it's trickery then it's not magic.

Magic is a temporary effect that "magicians" try to replicate(most by means of trickery) for the minds of their audiences, but only a few of them can. If you're audience thinks their watching trickery then it's not magic. If they are conviced you have powers then it's not magic. I won't post my entire definition of magic here, because defining magic is something every magician must do for, and by, themselves. And Only once you do, you can create it.

All I will say, Marshall Thornside, is that I work hard everyday to demonstrate to my audiences that there is much more to what a magician does, than what you state.

But maybe what I understood is not what you meant, Care to expand?

Everyone who wants to create magic, must first know what magic is... Good Luck

Alex Linian

I'm pretty certain I know exactly what she ment. This all must be terribly amusing to her.

I think that if you convince people that what you do is real magic and not trickery, then you are not a magician--you are a charlatan. Read what Maskelyne and Devant had to say about it.

I think Marshall is right.

Trickery is to fool the average dumbass. Not magic.

It's "Dumas".

No, but seriously, I respect the views of Jonathan and Magical Laurie, however, I don't agree, and I'm partially glad I don't "get it". When the more knowledgeable members on this Forum suggest that magic is undefinable, or dismiss it with a two word definition, they are running the risk of misleading the student into believing that a quest for an answer is not worthwhile. I'd bet that Jonathan and others did not arrive at their oppinions without going through a lot of thought. I don't think that defining magic is a nescessarily a "scientific process", or that it's impractical to utilize a rational framework to help devise a better way to perform demonstrations of "irrational phenomena."

LET MAGIC TELL YOU THE DEFINITION. I enjoy the poem Tony Hassini let me use for my magic cable T.V. show called “I AM MAGIC” it was played for every show I ever did. Now when you listen to the poem it NOT a magician saying “I AM MAGIC”
Its magic defining its self.

http://www.iammaro.com/MAGIC4.wav

That's magicalaurie.

LOL

Magic is the solution to all problems

Perhaps in stories, and usually at a price.

"magic" is cool stuff that defies logic.
Al

Semantics seems to refer not only to the meanings of words but also to their emotional impact. The poetic devices of simile and metaphor naturally appear and how surrreal they are...like Jeff Sheridan's yo-yo to fish.

Where did you find this?

Also, is that an effect of Jeff's (yoyo to fish) ?

All solutions have a price Jonathan

Is what I teach in etymology class...Greek origin. Yes, is Jeff's effect I read about.

Magicians aren't the only ones to have opinions on this subject, what about the audience point of view? Like Marshall, I'm a non magician, (hate the term laymen) can't we have an opinion? I've my own ideas of what magic is, thanks.

Jennieprice

Actually Jennie when I want know what'a magical, I ask muggles. Whether it's how something looks or how a story makes sense, I ask the potential audience.