I did a show at the family reunion this holiday and threw some cold reading in. After the show, 2 cousins of mine came up to me and both asked me whether something "specifically" was going to happen for them.



It occured to me that the material I've read so far on cold reading seems to prepare me to give "character" readings, but from what I can tell, most people would want to ask a psychic a specific question about a future event.



How do I respond with those kind of questions?



Thanks,

AA

AA,

If you're interested in furthering cold reading, it's worth getting TA Waters "Mind, Myth and Magic". It's worth getting anyway as it has a heap of wonderful stuff in it.

Waters makes it very clear that if you are going to do cold reading for people you have to take some responsiblity for the decisions they make in their lives because of the cold reading. You are very like a therapist and are helping them get over their hurdles.

It's a great book, try and get a copy.

Cheers
Maynooth

Doing readings as you have now discovered is VERY different than character readings which is usually what separates magicians from the real psychic entertainers. Go see a couple of actual psychics work. Have a palm reading done, go get a tarot reading and maybe a tea leaf reading. Go back to the library and get some books on those topics (not magic books either) and then decide if that is for you. Read and re-read T.a. Waters essay's on the subject. Lastly, if you decide you want to do that too, get some education, experience and background in counselling and psychology too as it will help immensley. Doing actual readings is NOT like doing a couple of card tricks. This is serious stuff, the real stuff and not to be played with even if you tell people it is just for entertainment. It is also very rewarding for those that do like doing it.

PSIncerely Yours,
Paul Alberstat

Paul is right on the money. But I'd make a couple of suggestions. First, if you're going to do readings, learn a system. Palms, tarot, numerology. For a couple of reasons. First, people are not stupid. Many have more than a passing knowledge of these systems. Second it will give you a structure within which to work. I am talking in this circumstance of readings for entertainment. Not counselling. Second and this is an ethical rather than technical point. Don't use tricks in your readings. I am not saying, that necessarily you have to believe in the modalities such as palmistry or tarot. After all you're selling yourself as an actor and entertainer.
BTW an inexpensive way of getting some training in counseling was suggested by Bob Farrell , I believe in Magick. Most suicide and crisis phone lines offer training for their volunteers. So check with the lines, get some traing and real world practice counselling on these phone lines. But I advise against personal counselling without
more formal academic training.
from
Ford

If the questions are of a yes/no nature, you can teach them how to use a pendulum and get their own answers.

Philemon, can you give us some references of where to find info to learn/teach pendulum?

You have a neighbor in New Zealand who has several resources for learning how to use the pendulum.

I'm speaking of none other than Richard Webster.

In fact, he has a video (from Flora & Co) that I can easily recommend:

It's called, appropriately enough, "The Pendulum Video"

http://floraco.safeshopper.com/7/58.htm?951

That should get you started!

Thanks Philemon, I'll look further into Richard's stuff.
I see he has a book called Pendulum Power For The Psychic Entertainer too.

I use the Magic 8-Ball.

Bob Nelson gives an interesting advice in his book The art of cold reading to deal with difficult spectators at the beginning of a reading. He says : "Please, tell me: if I see tragic events in your future do you want me to reveal them to you ?" Suddenly the spectator changes his attitude...

What do you think about this tip ?
Best,
Fred

Yes I can see you peeking out from behind
from
Ford

Hey! I've got an electronic 8-ball that produces amazingly accurate results!

I think there's little question that the best book available on the art of cold reading is Ian Rowland's. It's out of print at the moment, but occasionally can be found used, and Ian is working on a third edition.

Be forewarned, though... knowing how cold reading is done (even at the level of expertise expounded in Ian's book) is a far cry from being able to do it well! This is most definitely a craft that builds strongly on personal experience.

... Doug

AA,

I would seriously recomend Ian's book "Full Facts Book" on cold reading. There is an entire section on making predictions about the future, detailing 11 or 12 different methods for doing precisely this. I've personaly used these techniques a few time, and it is amazing how incredibly they have worked out . I've been getting people coming in the restaurant with "Man you predicted this right,..so and so happen just like you said it would" Most of the time I don't remember what I told them, but they usually reveal the situation in their conversation. Most of the time it is about a job, a new love, someone they will meet, a turn of events, a warning, ...etc etc. The book will tell you more. I just know I've used the techinques, and they are amazing, they almost make too sense, I can't believe I didn't think about some of them. I now see people like John Edward and think to myself how much he could he would benifit to use some of the techniques.I had one person tell me about an event I told them they were going to go through and sure enough some how they managed to make a situation they went through fit what I had told them. Realize most of the people that ask you to make a future prediction are more than willing to make even the slightes statement fit. They are not fighting with you on this subject. Please also remember as some of the sugestions have been made before on this forum...you are dealing with peoples life....plant a nice seed in their future., always do good.

E-Leoni.

I appreciate the concern 'about doing it right '.A sincere and small addition from me.
Before you begin do ask about any previous readings(Tarrot/numerology/palm etc)or your own previous readings as it is not advisable to negate what you have told them or anybody else has told them earlier.
Get hold of any of the self help books on personality development and just go thru the contents(index) and get to the basic steps on conquering fear/failure or affirmation techniques(Silva method) or just plain techniques on leaving suggestions for the sub-concious mind.This is the positive part of the cold reading that might help the listener .
End on a note of positivity...show him the silver lining....

Since my earlier posting in this topic, I have made available what many have found to be a useful bibliography on the subject of cold reading. Take a look!

Great list, Doug--

I'd only add a recent and brief essay from Alain Nu's out-of-print and sold-out book "Secrets and Realities", Alain touches on an idea he's labeled "Dopple-reading." If you can get your hands on a copy, do check it out.

My recommendations are:
The messiah process - jon riggs, not a how to, but fantastic essays on the subject, and some hard and punchy mentalism inbetween...

anything by richard webster is worthwhile...

ian rowland's as suggested too, but my real recommendation is to think about how you define "Psychic"...i don't want to get into the ethics, its not about that in this thread...

if you, or rather, your audience have a hollywood version of what psychic is, then what you can do is just about anything, which asks more questions than it answers...the lottery win, predicting tsunamis, assissinations etc...

however, if you explain how psychic could equate to a higher understanding of one's own intuition, and how to use it, it becomes less of a challenge to people, and more of an interesting concept...

what you define, you create as a wise man once said...

something to have a think about I reckon, I did..and alledgedly I'm from a long line of cockney psychics on my mum's side of the family...

learning a "system" as such, has always been a little too a,b,c for me - I'd recommend Mind Reading by Knepper and mystery school, and Enrique's Invisible Readings too..

oh and something from the non-magic fraternity, to see how the shut-eyes see it...t.a. andrews has some work out...and it's cheap!

I know this might sound crazy, but the Sherlock Holmes books by Conan Doyle. What makes these books so great is the understanding of how Holmes makes his observations of people and can deduce a great many things from simple observation.

The owner of my local magic shop has a decided advantage when he does his mentalism routine on some poor, innocent victim...I mean participant...ahem! He used to be a P.I. and learned a lot about human nature and the subtle signs they give off that can help him during a reading. I have actually seen him pull mental rabbits out of his hat, so to speak. If he really wanted to, he could go into this as another career.