Yep, I posted a review saying this was gold for the material. However, there is wayyyyyy more to this book than meets the eye - IMHO - that hopefully people who plan to write up their material should consider... as well as some interesting thoughts it conjured up for me that I wanted to share here for discussion beyond the material itself...

Safwan - exotic title... which Bryn explains and actually ties the entire book together. This was material designed in a chaotic time during war on scraps of paper field tested with... tough audiences... but when you begin to think about the type of effects developed... and the context... check out the creative process! Necessity is the mother of invention - and you add in a genius like Bryn - suddenly you get innovations based on minimalist conditions. I really looked at the effects and realized that sometimes I know I'm guilty of overkill and adding to much gimmicks to my routines based on the fact I have way too much available in comfortable contexts... it reminded me about seeking out material from creators from around the globe in various circumstances that will come up with all sorts of amazing things....

Also, that despite the old adage that all the work has been written up in the golden oldies (and I must admit there are tons of treasures in MAGICK and the like that are often "rediscovered") that new minds based on our current world events and technology and science (and humanities) are constantly redeveloping this art and that one has to watch out for the exploiters selling repackaged classics under their name for $10 downloads and $15 PDFs (or higher $300!) that there are inventors who are producing excellent material that should be collected and studied (like Safwan, Jerome's work...Paul Brooks...heck... I love the Magic Café as although the ratio of crap producers to gold producers is 95:5%... the 5% do hang here)..... Safwan demonstrates development of classic pieces of mentalism redone with minimalist art with psychological and verbal subt and some new innovations in Equiv. and other classic utilities.

The BOHT write-up was my favourite as it reminded me of the ancient legend of Robert-Houdin sent off to quell the rebels in the desert using magic.... (the bullet catch)... I am not going to write what Bryn did as you should buy the book and find out - but tis is what mentalism and (and in the case or RH, bizarre magic?) potential is - good or bad - a powerful art/tool/communicaton/? that can shock, amaze, quell uprisings, control people, and more... BOHT sounds simple to do but the principle get to the HEART of MENTALISM IMHO - and interstingly many of these experiences sound like they shaped Bryn's own life path to develop into his current career...

(I pity da fool criminals he gets to interogate!)

Interestingly, on that note - I found it fascinating to read what Bryn does for his current day job... and noted how many of us likely use our knowledge, skills and attitudes we have learned from the Art and transferred them into other fields - I know personally I use it in clinical, education and research in my own various day job roles almost all the time. I'd be interesting to see if there is a sort of "non-professional mentalists" that actually use mentalism and magic not only for part-time use but for their own jobs.

The entire Safwan backdrop also highlights something I wish more books would focus on - a unifying theme and a way to show "these pieces are from this period" - almost like how different artists have different styles as they develop their craft....

Heck, this post is long enough - I could go on and on - and I probably think Bryn didn't intend that the book be analyzed this way as a selling point - but I got to say it was a really great fresh read... and weirdly, I really enjoyed using my imagination to wander with Bryn and his Terp through various episodes as much as learning the effects.

I look forward to any discussion on these ideas for mentalism.

Kind Doctor,

Excellent post. I couldn't agree more. 'The Safwan Papers' made my heart swell as I read and though the effects are ALL wonderful (real workers!) it was the thinking behind them, the structure and motivation I got the most from.

Bryn should be applauded for his service to our country, his customer service (top notch) and wonderful offerings to the mentalism community, to name a few.

His 'BOHT' principle is beauty and simplicity at its best. I loved the story behind the method and WOW(!), we'll be seeing some more of his work along these lines very soon (with his gracious permission).

I've said it before and I happily say it again now . . . KUDO'S Bryn for a wonderful book and one of the most enjoyable reads I've had in awhile.

Best,
Jerome

WOW!....thanks for taking the time to write all of that, DR.

Thank you...really.

Jerome: Insert evil laugh here, as I have an inkling as to what is in the works

Just as TSP sets out to create... more pure, pure REAL MENTALISM...
almost nothing...just you and them...and this knowledge....

SO funny. I was just posting about the miracle "7" routine as this post was going up.

This is my favorite book in a long time. At least since the hurricane known as Thought Channel.

D

Just ordered it Cant wait to print it off and read it on my travels

Peter you will LOVE it!

Thanks Don Im sure I will

I had a restuarant gig last night. Usually mostly kids. But last night there weren't many kids so I went to the bar area and worked on 7 most of the night.

I won't give anything away here but during the final bit I used the words "some" and "several" a lot at the end and I'd say 4 out of five people said they layed down 7 cards. How sweet it was! Try it.

John

Sweet, John...
I am glad you enjoying SEVEN!

Bryn

I don't own this book yet, but Bryn was nice enough to share his thoughts on Seven with me. His thinking is great and I thank him for sharing that with me. From the sounds of it the rest of the book is every bit as good, so I will have to make that purchase here really soon.

Nate

I have only read through "7" thouroughly it is a fascinating presentation in subtlety. This one effect is a real worker! I briefly looked through some of the other effect and Bryn's thinking is just great. I enjoyed his explanations of how he evolved his thinking of an effect to get to the his presentation. It makes the ebooks that much more special when I read his intoduction.

Started playing with seven last night, if this effect was a woman I would marry her, hell I'd even leave the others for her, maybe!
Bryn your a star
Tanis

Ok - how many people have tried BOHT? I did it on 8 people today - all 100% success... (different places of course ).... do not miss that gem - it perfect for adding into a build-up routine or 3-punch / revelation effect...

For Seven - I liked Bryn's suggestion for the weird symbol on a piece of paper - adds a bit of bizarre magick mizarrism to the routine.

Also, being in Canada, my Pocket Index is worth wayyyy more than $4 ...

Did *-String today on a group of youth... went well - if/when my Carnie Tarot arrives, I think I'll build a small 3-effect act of carnival craziness...

I plan to use the Bank Nite for a Problem Gambling talk in the near future...

NOW CAN WE GET BACK to some of the META-COOLNESS I was hoping we could talk about - i.e. the creative process - our own use of mentalism outside performing - the power of mentalism and magic to be used in battle and politics????

SEVEN is certainly a woman worth staying with, Tanis...she will treat you VERY well...she has me over the years, before I decided to set her free...

Thanks,
Bryn

Bryn you knocked it out of the park bro. PM'd ya

D

For those who jumped on the Seven bandwagon I'd like to share this idea that occured to me last night.

There is an age old card effect that I've been performing for almost as long. It involves the performer dealing out one card at a time until the spectator calls out stop. When it's done properly the spectator will call out stop at the seventh card 80-90% of the time. It is one of my favorite card effects and it would be perfect for Byrne's Seven. If they don't stop you on the seventh you could always go back to the ruses suggested in Byrn's routine.

I originally learned the routine from one of Harry Loraynes books and he called it "Out Of My Control". It was written up way earlier and I believe it is in Expert Card Technique. It is also in Sal Paciente's(?) recent DVD where he calls it "Stop".

You would be marrying a classic psychological card effect with cutting edge mentalism and I think you've got a real winner. What do you guys think?

Steve

I think "7" is perfection personified!! Perfect as is!

John

"I think "7" is perfection personified!! Perfect as is!"

You're probably right but I thought this might be an interesting alternative that might be tried out. I have no doubt it will work but have to experiment with the various alternatives to see which suits me better.

Steve

Bryn has honed Seven to a very, very sharp edge. My efforts to add to it only served to dull the blade. I've decided to keep Seven in its original, pristine, condition. But, hey...you've got to try different stuff. I know this book had my creative juices flowing on overtime in a big way.

Of course. As my grandfather always said, "You gotta do what you gotta do."

J