Many years ago, someone had written in Supreme's Magigram - I'm not sure if it was Stanton Carlisle - about an item Robert Harbin had worked on privately. This was a genuine feat, no tricks involved. It was a way of projecting a card to a spectator's mind, such that when they asked you for a trick, you immediately asked them to think of a card, and of course, proved to be right. It was referred to as Harbinesque. Any information on this, especially Harbin's work or notes on it, will be appreciated!
Thanks.

I recall reading this. I think Harbin's card was the Jack of Diamonds. You just kept it to the forefront of your conscious mind when asking someone to name a card.

There is an excellent routine worth checking out in Dynamic Mysteries by Richard Osterlind.

Hi Kris Attard.
I would love to know more about it.
When did it appear?
Yaniv Deautsch

This sounds like Derren Brown territory again, no? Quentin, is the Osterlind thingy a book or tape?

Quentin says: "There is an excellent routine worth checking out in Dynamic Mysteries by Richard Osterlind."

Have you actually tried this out? It's great... but takes nerves of steel, a brass neck, and a muffler so they don't clang together when you walk!

Methinks that given a great deal of thought - or a discussion with Banachek or Ian Rowland - would throw up some workable "outs".

Thanks Quentin, I'll definitely check Osterlind out. Did you read about it in Magigram or elsewhere? I'd be very interested to know where.

I have no idea when it appeared, Yaniv, but I'm working on looking it up.

I did work Harbinesque myself and had a good degree of success. I don't know that it called for the Jack of Diamonds - I used it with different and various cards myself. It is the purest form of psychological force really, but not as in giving hints subiminal physical messages or using more likely cards, etc. It involves programming the card in your subconscious. This may seem strange to many, but to anyone involved in mind dynamic techniques it won't be.

Of course, getting a 100% success with something like Harbinesque is a different story. But then, it's just a matter of carrying an out.

(Just to clarify, that last post was mine. Talbuz is my old username which I am phasing out)

Drew,
I have tried it quite a bit and I have also come up with an out (move required) so if I am way off I can correct it
phillip

P.B. Sounds interesting. If you're at the Marc Salem show on Tuesday the 7th of May, Ian Rowland and i will be there... you could demonstrate it!

Drew, PBJ
Can you mention something briefly about this please?

I don't think it was fully described anywhere, just recounted by Shaxton. Harbin thought if he carried the card around and thought about it a lot people really would think of the card.

I based a routine around the Harbin story which appeared in Abracadabra magazine magazine a while back, and I think it also appeared in my original (out of print) TOTAT manuscript. (1987)

Paul Hallas.

T A Waters described this to me back in the early 60's. He carried a Jack of Diamonds for a male participant and a Queen of Hearts for use on female participants.I don't recall him mentioning that this was a Harbin idea, although it probably was if the Harbin piece saw publication in the early 60's or before.

Best thoughts,
John Smetana

I do something similar to Harbin's trick all the time.

Sometimes, I'll take a card from the deck and place it in front of the spectator. Ask her to name the first card that comes to her mind. I concentrate *intently* on the card, visualize it, and ask her to try to pick up the card I'm sending. It actually works more often than not, and when it doesn't work I'm often close.

I'll also give someone a deck, turn the other way, and ask her to shuffle and pick a card off the top. I tell her to look at it, and if it's red to visualize and say to herself "red." Ditto with black. My hits are often pretty impressive. I simply clear my mind and try to pick up the color.

Try it. Obviously it won't work all the time, but when it does you have a close-up mental miracle on your hands.

Ooops... in the second example I gave, I ask the spectator to go through the deck, visualizing and saying to herself every card as she turns it up.

That's what's impressive. I ask her to keep the "hits" in one pile and the "misses" in another. When you're on a roll, and the "hits" pile is considerably larger, it's very, very powerful stuff.

It was a way of projecting a card to a spectator's mind, such that when they asked you for a trick, you immediately asked them to think of a card, and of course, proved to be right.

Docc Hilford's video "Real Mindreading" has a nice method that I use before going into the Osterlind material - even if the "obvious-ness" of the Hilford approach is seen, or understood, the Osterlind method is quite dramatically amazing. And, it allows for NOT having to "warm up the audience" with a few tricks prior to using it (you'll understand after reading Richard's "requirements" for the presentation).

Quentin,
There is a way of having the participant think of YOUR specific card. Remind me to show it to you in Washington when I see you in June.
PSIncerely Yours,
Paul

"The KILLER Killer" from "Killer Konceptions expands on the Hillford effect from "Real Mindreading and David Greene's Mental Force Variation" from the same the book is another great mental force. And of course, if the force doesn't work you still have your "out" in your wallet!

Check the KJ magic board.

There is a topic called "Something to Ponder" (if I'm not mistaken). Under the mentalism forum.

It's about this very topic, and Craig Browning (aka Darmoe) will most certainly give you some food for thought.

BTW:

It's http://www.kjmagic.com

Paul, did you mean Shaxon as in Alan Shaxon, or Shaxton? Interesting that he used the JD and QH too. I never heard this in Carlisle's account of Harbinesque.