Part Two

If you want to learn more about Memory Development for things other than just playing cards, you can read and study the works of Harry Lorayne, Bruno Furst, etc. Also, Juan Tamariz has some interesting and off-beat techniques and ideas in his great book, “Mnemonica”. Everyone in the field of memory peg systems uses different code peg words for both the stack numbers and the card values. To make this easier for YOU, I would like to show you how to create YOUR own peg words that will easier to remember for YOU.

The basic mnemonic/phonetic alphabet is in the public domain, so I am not tipping anyone’s trade secrets in this section. Here are the basic rules to creating your own personal memory peg system for learning any stack:

1 (Ace) is a T or D
2 is an N
3 is an M
4 is an R
5 is an L
6 is a J, Sh, Ch, and sometimes a soft G.
7 is a K, C, or hard G
8 is an F or V
9 is a P or B
10 is an S or Z

Using these letters, we will create 52 personal code words, one for each NUMBER in our stack. We have 52 cards, so we will have 52 code words for the NUMBERS.

Using these letters, we will create 52 personal code words, one for each CARD VALUE in our stack. We have 52 cards, so we will have 52 code words for the CARD VALUES.

In other words, we will have card stack number code words AND we will have card value code words. Hang in there with me for a few more moments. It is much easier than it sounds at first glance.

The main idea for our own personal, easy to remember, system is that we can choose our very own words both for the stack numbers and for the card values.

You can obtain, for free, all of the Simon Aronson Stack code/peg words directly from his website at:

http://www.simonaronson.com

Here is an example: In the Aronson Stack System, stack number 6 contains the Ace of Spades. The number 6 MUST use a code word that starts with either a J, a Sh, or a Ch.
Simon uses the word Jew for the 6. He uses the word SeaT for the Ace of Spades.

Each of the 52 card values will begin with the letter of the suit. In other words all 13 Spades will begin with the letter S. All Clubs begin with C. All Hearts begin with Hand all Diamonds will begin with the letter D.

If you like you can use ALL of Simon’s code pegs. But, keep in mind he created his words using images and pictures that mean something special to HIM. We can do the same thing using images and pictures that have a personal meaning to us. For instance, for the number 6, we can choose from ANY of these code words: Jew, Jaw, Joe, Jay, Chi, etc.

For the card value Ace of Spades, all of our peg choices MUST begin with the letter S to denote the suit of Spades and must also contain the letter T (or D). Here are some choices: SeaT, SiT, SoT, SooT, SeT. DoT, DoTe, DaTa, etc.

I took a full day and figured out the most memorable possibilities with words that had some meaning for me, personally. I grew up as a military brat and had the opportunity to live in different parts of the world. One place we lived was near a swamp. If I had to go to the bathroom outdoors, I would always have to be wary of snakes and alligators. So, for the Ace of Spades I chose Jaw for the number and SiT for the value.

The next step is make some silly, crazy association between the stack peg and the card peg. Now, when I see the number 6 a giant alligator comes to mind. I SiT on the Jaw of the alligator. Try to visualize and imagine what it would feel like for your bare butt to come in contact with those big teeth in the alligator’s Jaw! It really is that simple. This sounds like a lot of stuff to remember, but we are going to eat this big elephant one bite at a time.

For the card values, we will ALWAYS need two letters from our mnemonic alphabet. For the stack numbers, we will need two letters for each value from 10-52. Here is another one: I play guitar and I carry a cane when I go out. Number 51 is a Two of Clubs. For 51 we have some choices: LaTe, LaTTe, LoT, LaT, LiT, etc. I chose the word LuTe. The Two of Clubs can be represented by: CaN, CoN, CoNe, Coon, CoiN etc. I chose the word CaNe.

When I see 51, I immediately envision a lute instrument with strings on a walking cane. I see myself playing this funny looking musical instrument. I hear the sounds. Believe me, this kind of exercise with burn these cards deeply into your long term memory.

The numbers and letters work perfectly until we come to the Court Cards of Jacks, Queens, and Kings. You could convert them to numbers, but who ever heard of a 14 of Clubs. Okay, except for us magicians…

I used Mr. Aronson’s convention for the court cards, but it was not smooth sailing. So, I memorized just the 4 Kings, then the 4 Queens, then the 4 Jacks. You may come up with something you like even better.

Here is some more info on this subject:

http://www.internationalebooklibrary.com......mory.pdf

Stay tuned, more to come in Part 3

This sounds almost identical to the system Simon himself advocates for learning his stack. I used it and recommend it.

Hi S2000magician, thanks for the support. I notice that one of your sigs is "The Polite Side of Magic". Simon uses some almost X-rated pegs in his own code words. I'm not critizing that because, so do I. The advantage of using your own words is that you can use Biblical words if you are a preacher or very gross words if you are a porn star..... Peg words that have some covert or overt meaning to YOU are often the best ones.

Ray

Hi MemDeck329,

I also took a break from magic for about 20 years and have returned now in my mid 50's.
I have just started to become interested in learning a stack but can't get my head round the peg system and the relationship between the numbers and the letters.How does number 1 come to be T or D and number 2 an N I can't see the relation between them and this just seems like extra stuff to remember.Can you help.

BARRY

Hi Barry, I feel your pain! It may seem like a buncha extra stuff to remember but it is a wonderful concept once you play around with it for a bit. You can get a copy of Harry Lorayne's "How to Develop a Super-Power Memory" for as little as two bucks on eBay. Your library has much material on this subject. Much can be found on line through a Google search.

The stack numbers and card values are hard to remember. The idea of the "letters for numbers" is to generate MENTAL IMAGES, or pictures, in your mind that help you to relate these two items. Once you learn the system, you can use it for many other things than just cards. You can use it for grocery lists, names, faces, etc.

We make words from these letters that eventually become pictures.

1 = T, The letter T has ONE downstroke.
2 = N, The letter N has TWO downstrokes.
3 = M, the letter M has THREE downstrokes.
4 = R, think of the R in the word fouR.

If the memory pegs and associations are too mind-boggling, you can learn them by rote memory. Many have been successful using that method.

Using the peg method, all of the crutches will eventually fall by the wayside. It is just one way to memorize a deck. It is not the best way for many.

Good Luck,
Ray

Boy, I'm sure learning a lot here - might even learn enough to write a book. HARRY LORAYNE. (Of course, on the other hand, perhaps one or two people would like to go to my fairly new website (third one listed under this post, with the word "magic" in it), click on "Memory Products", etc. You might even want to click on magic stuff; who knows?)

Harry, you DA MAN! I own all of your hard cover books from the 70's and 90's. I have all of the Apocalypse writings and even the old Mental Magnetism course.

Your prolific writings have influenced many magicians, especially me. Thank you.

Ah, okay, Memdeck, I wondered where you were getting all that information. You might, perhaps, let others get it the same way. No? HL.

Harry you "wondered where I was getting all that information"? Well, I did not get it from you. I learned this in 1968 and 1969 from Alexander Everett, the founder of Mind Dynamics, as mentioned in the first post in this series. It might be hard for others to "get it the same way", since Mr. Everett passed away a few years ago.

Please notice that I did mention your name in the very first line of this particular thread. You do not have a monopoly on memory peg techniques. This stuff has been around since ancient times. Anyone who wants to know more about this type of thing will eventually find you (and others). Some modern teachers of memory improvement claim that the peg system is outdated and inferior to modern techniques. I only chose the peg system because it is what I am most familiar with from many years ago. It works for me. My posts in this series are from my own memory.

I have great respect and admiration for you and your contributions to the magic community over the years..... I do not wish to offend you in any way.

No offense at all. Never heard of Everett. Go to memoryimprovement.org if you'd like to learn more about memory training in ancient times. HL.

I read every word. Thank you.

Alexander Everett eventually set himself up as a spiritual guru and made his fortune that way. I believe he started out with Jose Silva's "Mind Control".

Since you are in your 80's, have you found that your mental capacities are diminishing? The reason I ask is that I am 66 and have discovered that memorizing a deck takes MUCH longer than it did in my youth.

Just for the record: I had my assistant do a bit of research. Alexander Everett was investigated for fraud! And, yes, he "started out" with Silva Mind Control. I have had letters and calls over the years that Silva TAUGHT STUFF RIGHT OUT OF MY BOOKS; used my words, and etc. I personally can't say that, but it sure as h@ll doesn't surprise me. Can only go by all the calls and letters I received years ago. Haven't received any such for a while, so don't know if they still do it.

Anyway, if Everett "started out" with Silva - well, you figure it out. This is nothing new for me. My firt book published in 1956 started a "chain" of rip-offs. (Everett started his thing in 1968!) Dale Carnegie wanted to teach my systems right out of that book, but wanted to call it the Dale Carnegie system of memory. I said no; he did it anyway.

Even two well-known magicians got together and put out a book riding my coattails. My book, HOW TO DEVELOP A SUPER-POWER MEMORY, sold over eight million copies, and was advertised in those days with full-page ads in ALL major (and minor) newspapers and magazines. They (Walter Gibson & Morris Young) named their book How To Develop An Exceptional Memory; please! Incidentally, Morris Young did call me to ask if I minded, I said YES, I MINDED; they did it anyway. Their book sold zilch.

Years after that - Dr. Joyce Brothers put out a rip-off book. And it goes on currently - I don't want to name any more names. But, what else is new?

To answer your question: No, my mental capacities are not diminishing at my age. Well, let me be more precise - I don't know about my "mental capacities" - I know about MEMORY. My latest book, AGELESS MEMORY (Secrets for Keeping Your Mind Young) is all about just that. And my cry throughout (been "crying" it for years) is that IT IS NO LONGER NECESSARY TO ACCEPT A POOR MEMORY, OR LOSS OF MEMORY, AS AN INEVITABLE PART OF GROWING OLDER. HL.

Thanks for the informative lesson on the memory trail. Everett hooked up with the company "Holiday Magic", which was a pyramid scheme selling cosmetic products. Everett had a "property" and Holiday Magic had the funding.

For myself, I can only state honestly that I never stole anything from you! Mr. Everett claimed it was all his own. At the time, I had no reason not to believe him. He actually taught the memory peg system through group hypnosis. It was effective, and it did make a positive influence on my own life.

I discovered your magic books before becoming aware of your great works in the memory field. I am happy to learn that age is not a great factor in memory work.

Memdeck: I just posted in another thread - you may find it interesting. I'll try to copy/paste it here. HL.

Okay, since DoubleJ brought it up --- just yesterday I received an email from an old magic friend (Michael Raeburn), which led me into describing a memory thing I did with cards about six decades(!) ago. I don't do memdeck things. When I was quite young I would do some with a SHUFFLED DECK - I'd surreptitiously take it to the bathroom with me, and memorize it there! Anyway, this may give you something to work toward. Also, you might check out the final hour of the fourth volume of my "Best Ever" DVD set, wherein I do some memory stuff for a large lay audience - that, too, may give you something to work toward.

Now, I'm a lousy computer person; I am going to try to copy/paste Michael's question and my response here. Scroll down to read his email first, then scroll back up to read my response. I think! Best - HARRY L.

Sent: Saturday, November 21, 2009 8:43 AM

Hey Michael: Good to hear from you. You have the basics right but not the details. The actor was Victor Jory. Most today won't know him, but well known back then. He was a bit into magic. Came into The Little Club one night and I did some stuff for him at his table. I was doing only table magic there. He came in a few nights later with a different friend. So it went. He came in whenever he was in town, always with different people - to sort of show me off.
I was doing basically the same stuff at each table, but I always threw in one trick just to fool Jory. The problem was that I was running out of stuff - remember I was very young at the time.
So, since I was always interested in memory work, one evening I had to sort of scratch (in my opinion, at the time) the bottom of the barrel. I did a memory thing for him. Actually, it's one hell of an effect, but I didn't really realize it then.
Basically - he called off all the cards of the deck he'd just shuffled. Quickly. Then he'd name any card and I'd tell him where it was in the deck. He'd call any number, 1 to 52, and I'd tell him the card at that position. The finale: I asked him to name the strongest poker hand. Royal flush; what suit? As soon as he named that - I'd rattle off five numbers, and the royal flush cards of that suit were at those positions. Strong. I doubt if I could, or want to, do it today!
Anyway; that's when the "turning point" occurred. Jory stood up and started to applaud - loudly. And speak loudly. Saying things like, "Harry; your sleight of hand is marvelous, etc., etc., but this - what you just did, that's unbelievable..." And he raved on for a few minutes. That did it. I realized the strength of the memory stuff. Changed my thinking, my attitude, my life. I think I've told you more than you wanted to know about this, Michael! Stay well. Best - HARRY,


> Dear Harry,
>
> I was telling a story about you last night and wanted to make sure I got my
> facts straight.
>
> If I remember correctly, you had told me that while you were doing your
> magic act at 'The Little Club', you had, one night, performed some strictly
> memory stuff for a celebrity and he was floored and encouraged you to pursue
> that, rather than card magic.
>
> I seem to remember that the celebrity was Royal Dano. Given that I have
> been, for most of my life a film fanatic, I remember Royal Dano as being the
> 'guy-that-is-in-every-film'.
>
> Am I remembering this right?
>
> Anyhow, hope you're both OK. Think I'll be home relatively soon, but that
> depends on how long this sweet gig lasts.
>
> Drop me a line when you can.
>
> M
>
> Michael Raeburn
> Digital Identity, Inc.
> Michael@digitalidentityinc.com


Posted: Nov 22, 2009 3:07pm
Told you that I'm a lousy computer person - did I post the same thing twice? I think so. Oh, well. HL.

Greetings Harry. Yes, I did just now read that in the other thread. It is very impressive. You said: "As soon as he named that - I'd rattle off five numbers, and the royal flush cards of that suit were at those positions. Strong. I doubt if I could, or want to, do it today!"

Now, I can certainly understand why you might not "want to" do it today. But, why do you say you doubt that you could do it today? You mentioned earlier that age is not a factor, so why could you not do it today?

Simple - a)I don't have the desire, and b)I no longer have to prove anything. (Yes, a and b are pretty much the same thing.) But, just to put your mind at ease - if you, or anyone, pays my normal fee, and insists that I do that particular stunt - I would do it. My depression upbringing! HL. (If you look at that hour of memory stuff I do on the DVD volume I've already mentioned - understand that I don't want to do that anymore, either. But, to repeat, write the check, and I'll do it! I really don't want to have to get to an engagement hours earlier so that I can meet and remember all the people in the audience. And, I can do it mentally, but the physical part, running around to tables, etc., or through an audience-style audience, meeting people, is tiring for me now. But -I just did an appearance for a corporate group and did the n/f because - they paid me a lot of money and the guy who called to hire me asked if I still did the names/faces demo - and would I please do it there. Sure.)

I hear ya! I'm satisfied with that answer. Thank you.

It has taken me exactly three weeks (today) to memorize the Aronson Stack - Cold!

During those moments when my mind stammers for a second or two, I am tickled that I have the number and card value pegs to fall back on. It is like a security blanket. I'm envious of those who state they can memorize a deck in 10 minutes. It sometimes takes me 10 minutes to pee....

If it took me ten minutes to memorize the deck for the royal-flush ending I've mentioned, the people in my audience would have left to pee!!

Well, that is why you are Harry Lorayne, and everyone else is NOT.....

Just as you're Memdeck329 and everyone else is NOT... (Only MemDeck328 is close.)