Jasonism
By Eddie Joseph
It is a well-known psychological axiom that an effect only appears supernatural when the true cause escapes us. I provide such an example in Jasonism. I held this in reserve 15 years, using it sparingly, only on special occasions, to great advantage. The direct approach and absence of "out of sight action" convince the close observer that trickery does not play a part.
The performer remarks that he is about to present a brief, but convincing, exhibition of thought reading. Instead of the usual blindfold, he asks one of the men to stand behind him and place his hands over the operator's eyes. The second man is requested to shuffle either his own or the performer's cards. Then he is told to cut the pack and place one portion on the performer's outstretched hand. The remainder of the pack is discarded.
The performer shows the cards, one at a time, and asks the gentleman to make a mental record of one card and its position in the pack. While showing the cards, the performer continues: "In order to make sure that I cannot gain the slightest clue which may eventually lead me to your selection, please do not stop me as soon as you decide on a card but let me continue right through."
Thus the operator shows the face of every card and points out that since the selection is made mentally no one but the selector can identify it.
"But," adds the performer, "if we could bring our minds in agreement I would be able, with remarkable certainty, to probe into the innermost recesses of your mind and share your secret."
The packet is handed to the gentleman with the explanation that the only way to bring two minds into agreement is to raise one to an active state, to lower the other to a passive state. Since the performer is to read the other's mind, the gentleman is instructed to raise his mind to a state of activity, by concentrating intently on the card and its original position. He is warned that success depends entirely upon his concentration because thought reading is not a one-sided matter. As an untrained mind cannot concentrate on two things the man is asked to form a mental image of his selected card and bring in artificial aid by transferring one card at a time from the top of the packet to the bottom to equal the position at which his card stood originally. Then the gentleman is instructed to call out the names of every card in his hands. No sooner is this done than the performer intercepts the mental vibrations and names the card.
A careful analysis will satisfy the reader that the strongest point of Jasonism is its simplicity. The "cause" will definitely evade the keenest observer due to that simplicity. Since the observer feels that the performer is ignorant of the identity of the card and does not restrict the number of cards employed, the investigating witness is robbed of a starting point.
We shall now investigate the "cause." After the group of cards is in the performer's hand, he announces that he will show the face of every card so that one may be mentally chosen and its position remembered. The performer pushes the top card over. His right hand takes it and holds it up. The next card is handled in the same manner, but it is placed in front of the card already in the right hand. This is continued. Each card goes in front of the preceding one. When 8 or 9 cards are shown, the performer drops the group in his right hand on the table and continues with the rest of the pack in the same manner. The entire success of the problem depends upon this innocent subterfuge.
However, the performer must remember the number of cards he drops on the table in the first lot. Suppose it is nine. He continues to count, to himself, right through in order to ascertain the total number of cards in the packet handed to him. Suppose this is twenty-three. He deducts nine from twenty-three, which leaves fourteen. He must remember this number.
A reason is given in the patter for transferring a certain number of cards from top to bottom. Suppose the gentleman concentrated on the Jack of Diamonds, which happened to be in the eighth position. He will naturally move eight cards from top to bottom. You are not concerned with the original position of the card. As soon as he transfers the number of cards to equal the original position, he automatically places the card in the fourteenth position. All you have to do is listen for the name of the fourteenth card. The rest is showmanship.
This is the formula. The total number of cards in the packet, minus the number of cards the performer drops on the table in the first batch. equals; the key number.
The working is elastic. If the performer drops thirteen cards in the first batch and the packet consists of eighteen, then, of course, the selected card will appear in the fifth position. However, the performer continues right through the rest of the cards after the original batch and drops them on the first lot. The entire packet is passed to the assisting spectator.