Like many performers, Dr. Charles Scott (aka Cicardi) had many signature routines -- his Q&A act, PSI-Grafico, and his baffling Three Envelope Test spring to mind -- some of which he shared with the mentalism community on his two Cicardi Project DVD sets (details available HERE and HERE). And, like many performers, Dr. Scott had presentations that he kept close to his vest. One such presentation is 7 Think, a routine that Dr. Scott shared with less than a handful of fellow performers over the years.
Here's what the audience sees in a typical 7 Think presentation...
The 7 Think Presentation
The perforrmer mixes a deck of playing cards and hands out several cards to each of seven audience members, instructing six of the volunteers to look at the cards they have and mentally select one card. "I want to demonstrate something a little different with you," the performer tells the remaining volunteer. "Without looking at your cards, select one and put it someplace where no one can see it."
Once this is done, all of the cards (except the hidden card) are collected by an audience member, mixed thoroughly and returned to the performer.
"I'm going to call out some names of cards. When I stop, raise your hand if you heard me call your card," the performer states, "And I'll attempt to divine the card you're thinking of."
One or more volunteers raise their hands, and the performer is able to name their cards.
For the remaining volunteers, the performer calls off some more cards, and identifies the cards thought of by the volunteers who raise their hands.
Turning to the audience member who selected and hid the unknown card, the performer says, "This will be a demonstration of clairvoyance, since neither one of us knows what that card is." The performer concentrates, and then identifies the hidden card.
Addressing another volunteer whose card hasn't been identified yet, the performer asks, "Do you believe in synchronicity, the concept of meaningful coincidences? I do, and I think that synchronicity will help us find your card. Spell the name of your card, and I'll deal off one card for each letter you call out." This is done, and the last card spelled to is indeed the card the volunteer was concentrating on.
With one last volunteer left standing, the performer calls them to the stage. "If you look in my coat pocket, you'll see a folded piece of paper. Remove that please, and tell us what card you were thinking of."
The volunteer names their card, the prediction is opened -- and is correct.
"That's A Lot For One Deck To Do"
So, in a nutshell... seven people think of a card and against incredible odds, you reveal each of those cards, demonstrating telepathy, clairvoyance, synchronicity and precognition.
As I said above, the preceding description lays out what a typical 7 Think performance looks like, but the truth of the matter is that part of the beauty of the 7 Think presentation is that it plays out differently everytime you perform it. A truism of mentalism (and all good entertainment, for that matter) is that the more audience members you involve in your performance, the more engaging and memorable that performance will be. As you can imagine, the dynamic nature of 7 Think keeps it interesting for both the performer and the audience, and with seven volunteers involved, there is great potential for plenty of entertaining audience interaction.
While 7 Think is not for beginners, it is easy to do once you understand the devilishly simple principles involved. There are no sleights required -- the deck does it all for you, allowing you to concentrate on your interaction with the audience. And, the 7 Think deck is simple to make up -- it uses regular playing cards and less than $10 in materials.
And talk about "pack small, play big"? 7 Think certainly fills that bill -- and if you're like Charles, you'll pack 7 Think in your case and take it with you to every performance. The entire presentation runs about ten minutes, involves seven volunteers, and demonstrates an array of seemingly-impossible revelations -- that's a lot of entertainment to be squeezed out of a simple deck of cards.
More Thoughts
Obviously, there are purists in the mentalism community who will automatically disregard 7 Think because of their belief that audiences automatically associate playing cards with magic tricks, and depending on a performer's persona and presentational premise, this may very well be true. However, the counter argument espoused by many working professionals is that the only people who associate playing cards with magic tricks are... magicians.
The thoughtful performer, however, will be able to grasp the basic presentation of 7 Think and modify it to communicate the appropriate level of mystery desired. One such performer is Millard Longman, and in the 7 Think manuscript, he shares his thoughts on how he would use the 7 Think principles in his own performances and discusses additional ideas on how to strengthen the routine with the use of readings and his "No Fail Wording".
One aspect of 7 Think that may appeal to some is that it is modular in nature. Don't think that a spelling effect belongs in your act? No problem -- you can eliminate that and focus on just demonstrating your telepathic abilities. In fact, the main principle behind 7 Think can be used for presentations that don't use playing cards, and two examples of how Charles did this are included -- one from the pages of MAGICK, and another a performance video from his MIND PROBE program.
What's Included in 7 Think
As mentioned above, Charles kept 7 Think under wraps for over 30 years, teaching it to only four people. You now have the rare opportunity to add this exclusive presentation to your own repertoire and mystify your audiences just as Charles has throughout his career.
This 35-page e-book contains everything (except the playing cards) you need to present 7 Think, including...
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Honestly, the 7 Think presentation is so easy to perform, it can be added to just about anyone's act. Whether you're a magician who wants to add a little mindreading to your repertoire or a mentalist who wants to perform an exclusive routine from the notebook of a consummate professional, you'll find that 7 Think is so much fun for both you and your audiences, you'll want to do it all the time.
CICARDI'S 7 THINK
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