Mark Wilson's Complete Course in Magic is a comprehensive guide for anyone interested in learning and mastering the art of magic. It is considered one of the most influential and widely read books in the field of magic. The book covers a wide range of topics and techniques, providing step-by-step instructions and illustrations to help the reader understand and perform various magic tricks. The book starts with an introduction to the world of magic and its history, giving readers a sense of the rich tradition and evolution of this art form. It then goes on to cover the essentials of magic, such as misdirection, psychology, and presentation skills. These foundational concepts are crucial for any magician to understand and execute tricks effectively.
What’s Vodou about, then? Religion professor Leslie Desmangles, himself Haitian born, says it “gives meaning to life. It brings spiritual transformation. It uplifts the downtrodden. And it brings self-examination, to think about your relationship with the world. I think all religions do that.”
You have to remember that in Haiti, there is one doctor for every 10,000 citizens, says Elizabeth McAlister, a scholar of African religions at Wesleyan University. Desmangles, who has been studying practitioners in New York, fully expects an American style of Vodou to emerge, different from the original Haitian forms.
These foundational concepts are crucial for any magician to understand and execute tricks effectively. Mark Wilson's Complete Course in Magic provides detailed instructions on a variety of magic tricks, ranging from card tricks and coin tricks to stage illusions and escapes. Each trick is explained in a clear and concise manner, with accompanying illustrations to aid in the learning process.
Vodou: Myths and Facts
Zombies, black magic, dolls impaled with stickpins, witch doctors muttering spells and curses: Vodou, or “voodoo” as many people spell it, is the eye of a storm of fears and stereotypes. Many of
them are untruths or half-truths, according to experts. Here’s what they told us.
Vodou is not about black magic — mostly.
The experts acknowledge there’s a dark side to the religion, as there is to other faiths. A priest or priestess represents mainline Vodou. The other side is practiced by a sorcerer.
Sorcerers are believed to cast ill effects on people, often in rural parts of Haiti where police aren’t available. Priests and priestesses are said to practice
bon ginen vre,
Creole for “good, true Africa.”
“The power is not good or bad; it can be
for good or bad,” says Terry Rey, chair of religious studies at Temple University. “Most priests don’t want to do bad things to another human.”
Sociologist John Bartkowski of the University of Texas at Austin even regards the idea of “black magic” as a racist double entendre. “First, it suggests that the people draw on dark forces. Second, it has to do with their African origin.”
Bartkowski says Vodou serves a function something like Halloween does for Americans, perhaps without the bite-size candies. “We [in the United States] have broad cultural traditions to make sense of these forces. When we look at other traditions, we should see the ways they’re similar, not different.”
What’s Vodou about, then? Religion professor Leslie Desmangles, himself Haitian born, says it “gives meaning to life. It brings spiritual transformation. It uplifts the downtrodden. And it brings self-examination, to think about your relationship with the world. I think all religions do that.”
What’s the big issue in Vodou? Healing.
Barks, leaves, clays, medicinal teas play a big part in Haitian beliefs. So do invoking spiritual powers for whatever troubles you: illness, money woes, broken relationships.
“You have to remember that in Haiti, there is one doctor for every 10,000 citizens,” says Elizabeth McAlister, a scholar of African religions at Wesleyan University. “So the burden of health and psychiatric care — and pastoring — falls on traditional religious healers. Priests and priestess are the front line of social services for most of the people.”
She hastens to add that it’s not a good situation. “Haitians should have biomedical healthcare. But the government and the international community haven’t come through. So they have to rely on who is there for them.”
Vodou has an alias that you’ve probably never heard.
comes from the Fon tribe of west Africa, meaning “spiritual entity.” Rey says the label was made a blanket term for Haitian spirituality in the 19th century, and anthropologists and ethnographers took it from there. But in the mountains of Haiti, many call it
, or “Spirit Service.”
That service often takes the form of gifts — sometimes a simple cigar, sometimes an animal sacrifice, according to each spirit’s taste. In return, a believer asks a spirit for provision, protection, forgiveness or salvation. During Haiti’s Festival of the Dead in November, worshipers asked Baron Samedi, the spirit of the dead, for relief from soaring food prices.
Terry Rey has found that American Vodou believers ask spirits for things as mundane as a green card or the next rent or tuition payment. He mentions a Creole word:
“They ask the spirits to give them a push to make it to the end of the day,” he says. “It’s a reciprocal service — I serve the spirits, and they help me get along.”
There’s only one Vodou God.
Believers have a pantheon of spirits called Lwa — like Elizi, the spirit of love, and Ogou, the spirit of iron. But they’re all creations of a single deity called Bondye (Good God) or Granmet (Great Master). Religion scholars call this a “diffused monotheism,” where God’s power is filtered through lesser spirits.
Believers may even invite a Lwa inside them for a “visitation” or “possession trance,” in order to learn its will. Terry Rey says some practitioners even keep “prop rooms,” full of costumes and objects like a sword, and do distinctive dances according to whichever spirit shows up.
Desmangles, a professor at Trinity College, Hartford, says such events enhance a person’s social status, for having been chosen by a Lwa. The person even begins to take on the character of a Lwa — for instance, becoming more loving after communicating with Ezili.
There is no one Vodou — not even a Vodou Bible.
“It’s all based on oral traditions, just as in Africa,” Desmangles says. “It’s against the grain even to write a scripture. The nature is not to establish doctrines that are frozen or crystallized.”
Developing among African slaves from western and central Africa, Vodou merges worship of nature, of ancestors, even angels and Catholic saints. What’s more, the religion can vary by region, with beliefs in one area different from those in another.
Desmangles, who has been studying practitioners in New York, fully expects an American style of Vodou to emerge, different from the original Haitian forms.
About those zombies.
A generation of moviegoers has been fed nightmares of moaning, undead corpses lurching toward their next fix of “fresh brains.” Our experts agree that those images are false. But they don’t agree on what the truth is.
In Vodou, the phenomenon is supposed to start with dusting the victim with toxic powder processed from a puffer fish. The victim then goes catatonic, or walks in a daze, serving as a slave.
Rey has talked to people who say they
zombies. One told him he owed a man a large sum, and the lender took revenge by zombifying him. “He believed he was a cow for a couple of weeks: lived in a pasture, ate grass, drank from a trough shoulder to shoulder with other cows.” The man told Rey he was healed when a Catholic Charismatic Renewal layperson “laid hands on him to liberate him from his zombified state.”
Desmangles, though, is skeptical of zombie stories. For one, he thinks it’s unlikely that a sorcerer in a hut could mix the right dosage for each individual. Desmangles thinks local village committees keep the zombie legend alive to keep people honest.
“If a peasant with a carrot field doesn’t share his carrots, he may find some missing one night,” Desmangles says. “Who did it? The zombies did. And sometimes, committee members threaten to turn
into a zombie, if you don’t fulfill your responsibilities.”
… and those Voodoo dolls.
A disappointment, or maybe a relief: Vodou doesn’t include sticking pins into dolls to harm someone. Largely Hollywood fiction, Rey says. Although he says that in rare cases, African culture does include using effigies to direct “supernaturally destructive forces” at a person.
And the pins? Probably from “ignorant foreigners” seeing nails driven into religious statues, he says. That practice is meant to contain and concentrate the spiritual power in the statue.
McAlister says cloth bundles are used in healing relationships — an appeal for spirits to bring people together, she says. But the only dolls with stickpins she’s seen are sold in bookstores and novelty shops.
Vodou is cultural as much as religious.
Formal numbers of Vodou practitioners are hard to come by. Terry Rey estimates that of the million Haitians in the United States, only 10 percent are practitioners. In South Florida, home to nearly 300,000 Haitians, that comes out to 30,000 ? fewer than, say, the 38,000 Episcopalians here, but more than the 14,000 or so in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
Those calculations, though, don’t account for an unknown number of cultural Vodouists, who observe parts of the religion. They may not go to a temple, but they’ll pray at home or drink an herbal tea when they fall ill. “Some even may do Mass at a Catholic Church, but they’re envisaging a Lwa who walks with the saints,” says Elizabeth McAlister, the Wesleyan professor.
Also unknown are the numbers who return to Haiti every few years for Vodou-related devotions, like a ritual feast or prayer services for their ancestors.
“They may do nothing related to Vodou in the United States,” McAlister says. “But once in, maybe, five years, they’ll go to Haiti and take care of the spirit that is attached to the land.”
Share this:
- Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
- Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
The book also includes tips and insights from professional magicians, shedding light on the secrets and techniques used in their performances. Aside from teaching specific tricks, the book also focuses on the presentation and performance aspects of magic. It emphasizes the importance of showmanship, audience interaction, and storytelling to create a memorable and engaging magic performance. By incorporating these elements into their routines, magicians can captivate and astonish their audiences. In addition to the instructional content, Mark Wilson's Complete Course in Magic also provides valuable resources and references for aspiring magicians. It includes a glossary of magic terms, a bibliography of recommended books and videos, and a list of magic supply stores. These resources can be helpful for readers looking to further expand their knowledge and skills in magic. Overall, Mark Wilson's Complete Course in Magic is a comprehensive and accessible guide for anyone interested in learning the art of magic. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced magician, this book provides invaluable insights and techniques to help you develop your magic skills and create captivating performances..
Reviews for "Unlock Your Potential with Mark Wilson's Complete Course in Magic"
1. John - 2/5 - I was really disappointed with the "Mark Wilson Complete Course in Magic". I was expecting to learn some really cool tricks and improve my magic skills, but I found the explanations to be too basic and lacking detail. The book seemed more like a collection of tricks without providing much guidance on how to actually perform them well. Overall, I think this book would be better suited for complete beginners rather than someone looking to advance their magic abilities.
2. Emma - 2/5 - As an experienced magician, I found the "Mark Wilson Complete Course in Magic" to be quite underwhelming. Most of the tricks included in the book are well-known and can be easily found with a simple internet search. Additionally, the explanations provided are quite brief and lack the level of detail required to truly master the tricks. I was hoping for a more advanced and comprehensive course, but unfortunately, this book fell short of my expectations. I would recommend it only for those new to magic or looking for a quick introduction, but not for serious magicians looking to enhance their skills.
3. Alex - 3/5 - While "Mark Wilson Complete Course in Magic" covers a wide range of tricks, I found the organization of the book to be confusing. It was difficult to navigate through the chapters and find specific tricks or techniques I was interested in. Additionally, some of the explanations were unclear and left me feeling confused. I believe that with better organization and clearer explanations, this book could be a valuable resource for aspiring magicians. However, as it stands, there are better options available for learning magic tricks.