‘Magic of the mind’ or mental magic is rapidly gaining popularity as a form of entertainment in its own right. This branch of magic consists of: mind reading, predictions, mental telepathy, ESP and a host of other effects associated with magic and the mind.
This type of magic is unique because it focuses on the effect created on the audience rather than on the objects or props used. In essence, your goal as a magician is to deceive the mind rather than the eye.
Psychology plays a large role in the presentation of mental effects and many times is combined with mathematical principals to complete the effect. Never refer to a mental effect as a “trick.” Instead, call it a “test” or “experiment” and in most cases, treat it rather seriously. One advantage of mental magic is that it “packs small and plays big.” That means you do not need fancy props to present most mental effects, yet they can have a stunning impact on your audience. In mental magic, as in all other branches of magic, there are a few tried and true principals upon which many mental effects are based. One of these, already discussed previously, is the “one ahead” principal.
One Ahead Principal Revisited – The idea here, as with the sponge balls, is that you, the magician, are one step ahead of the audience in the sequence of performing the effect. As an example, the magician may deceive the spectator into believing he has a free choice in selecting a number. In reality, however, you are using a math principal to “force” him to choose the number you want him to pick. A good example is the following effect: “Orange Kangaroos in Denmark.”