Close up magic prop pad is an essential tool for any close-up magician. It is a small pad made of high-quality material that allows the magician to perform various tricks and illusions. The main idea behind a prop pad is to provide a smooth surface for the magician to perform his tricks on. Close-up magic requires intricate hand movements and precise sleight of hand. A prop pad helps in creating the perfect surface for these actions. It provides a clean and flat surface that allows the magician to perform his tricks smoothly.
‘Oblivion I can give you. Mystic drops of a magic herb I know that renews the heart. But whoever wants it must gather it with his own hand at the dead of night—the graveyard is the place. To the west of the city, there, where on the gloomy field the pallid moon shines down on abhorrent land the herb has its roots by those ill-famed stones where all sins are atoned for with the last living breath!’
Aware of the couple s desire to start a family, Callimoco offers the wife a potion made from the mandrake root, but persuades her husband that the first man to sleep with her afterwards will die. There is no denying that later, Vatsalya parental love and Bhakti devotion also came to be adopted as important emotions in the scheme of artistic expression.
It provides a clean and flat surface that allows the magician to perform his tricks smoothly. The prop pad is designed to be portable and lightweight, making it easy for the magician to carry it around and use it whenever needed. It can be folded or rolled up, making it easy to store and transport.
Myths and mandrakes
J K Rowling's Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets 1 includes a scene in which the hero and his friends are in a greenhouse, taking instruction from Professor Sprout on the re-potting of mandrakes. To protect their hearing, the class is equipped with earmuffs.
In an age ever more preoccupied with medicinal herbs, mandrake is the herb that time has forgotten, the word more readily associated today with a column in the Sunday Telegraph or the American strip cartoon Mandrake the Magician. Mandrake the Magician (1934) was the first super-powered costumed crime fighter, the forerunner of Superman, Batman and, most recently Spiderman, but even this icon of the 20th century had his origin in antiquity, for the unlikely source of his creator Lee Falk's inspiration was a poem by the 17th century English poet John Donne 2 . Donne's subject was fertility:
‘Goe, and catche a falling starre,
Get with child a mandrake roote’.
And the origin of the mandrake's association with fertility is truly ancient, surfacing first in chapter 30 of the Book of Genesis, where the childless Rachael asks her sister Leah for the loan of the mandrakes which her son had brought in from the fields. Much later, this fertility myth received support from the medieval doctrine of signatures, which suggested that God had provided all plants with a sign indicating their value. Mandrake has a long and frequently bifid taproot whose shape sometimes resembles the body of a man ( Figure 1 ). Believing this to indicate reproductive power, our ancestors took to sleeping with them under their pillows at night.
Mandrake (Mandragora officinarum). Sibthorpe: Flora Graeca (1808)
Others, however, began to wonder whether the possession of roots might not bring them success in other areas as well—wealth, popularity, or the power to control their own and other people's destinies, and took to wearing them as good luck charms. Not surprisingly, the Church frowned upon this practice and when, during her trial in 1431, Joan of Arc was accused of having a mandrake about her person, the suggestion helped send her to the stake 3 .
Mandrake was, of course, far from being the only plant with an anthropomorphic root. The herb had another property, however, for the root contains hyoscine a powerful alkaloid with the ability to cause hallucinations, delirium and, in larger doses, coma. Mandrake's use as a surgical anaesthetic was first described by the Greek physician Dioscorides around AD 60, and its use as a tincture known as mandragora, or in combination with other herbs such as opium, hemlock and henbane is described in documents from pre-Roman times onwards 4 . It was the presence of this alkaloid, as well as the shape of the root, that led to the mandrake's association with magic, witchcraft and the supernatural.
Mandrake roots became highly sought after in their native Mediterranean habitat, and attempts to protect them from theft are thought to have been the source of the second mandrake myth, which stated that a demon inhabited the root and would kill anyone who attempted to uproot it. Over the centuries, elaborate rituals developed to avoid what became known as the mandrake's curse, the most famous of these requiring the assistance of a dog ( Figure 2 ). Later elaboration of this legend attributed the herb's lethal power to a shriek or a groan emitted by the mandrake as it was uprooted, and suggested that death could be avoided either by a loud blast on a horn at the critical moment or by sealing one's ears with wax. In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, the earmuff is more in keeping with current health and safety regulations.
The mandrake's curse. After being shown a tasty morsel (far right), a hungry dog is tied to the root of the mandrake. From a safe distance, the hunter throws the food in front of the dog, which lunges forward, uprooting the herb. The dog dies at sunrise (bottom right) and is buried with secret rites. Cod. Vind. (Medicina Antiqua)
The prop pad also serves as a visual aid for the audience. It provides a focal point for the tricks and helps in directing their attention. The pad can be customized with different colors, patterns, or logos to add a personal touch or branding element to the performance. One of the main advantages of using a prop pad is that it can be easily reset. After each trick, the magician can simply wipe or shake off any debris or residue, making it ready for the next performance. This eliminates the need for complicated setups or preparation between tricks, allowing the magician to focus on his performance. In summary, a close-up magic prop pad is a versatile tool that provides a smooth and portable surface for close-up magicians to perform their tricks. It enhances the visual appeal of the performance and allows for easy reset between tricks. Whether you're a professional magician or just starting out, a prop pad is an essential item to have in your magic toolkit..
Reviews for "Unleashing Your Creativity: Pushing Boundaries with Close Up Magic Prop Pads"
- Sarah - 2 stars
I was really disappointed with the close up magic prop pad. It's supposed to make tricks easier and more impressive, but I found it to be clunky and difficult to use. The instructions were also really confusing and didn't provide enough detail. Overall, I didn't feel like it added anything to my magic routine and I regret purchasing it.
- John - 1 star
The close up magic prop pad was a complete waste of money. It didn't work as advertised and the quality was extremely poor. The pad started falling apart after just a few uses and the designs on it were already fading. I would not recommend this product to any serious magician. Save your money and invest in something better.
- Emma - 2 stars
I had high hopes for the close up magic prop pad, but unfortunately, it didn't live up to my expectations. The pad itself was too small and didn't provide enough space for the tricks I wanted to perform. The material it was made of also felt cheap and not durable. I ended up returning it and will be looking for a better alternative.
- Michael - 2 stars
I found the close up magic prop pad to be too gimmicky for my taste. It didn't feel authentic and I could tell that the audience could easily figure out how the tricks were done. It may be suitable for beginners, but as an experienced magician, I was not impressed. I would suggest investing in more traditional and reliable props instead.