Mysterium - A New Series by Jason England

j.bayme

ceo / theory11
Team member
Jul 23, 2007
2,848
352
New York City
This morning, we unveiled the start of a new adventure. We call it MYSTERIUM, and our guide is Mr. Jason England. To those familiar with Jason's work, his expertise is unrivaled. To those unfamiliar, you will quickly find that his mind is as sharp as his skill. And his hands are dangerous!

This series of articles will be posted every Wednesday at 11:00am EST, from now until the foreseeable forever. Each week, the topic will be different - from interviews to magic history, card cheating to loaded dice. Prepare for an array of topics on magic, playing cards, and related subjects.

The first article this morning focuses on just that: related subjects. Tangential subjects, whose influence may both inform and inspire your magic. You can read the premiere article here now. Did I mention that all of these will be free? There, I said it! Enjoy, and please never hesitate to ask questions, post suggestions, and give us feedback. I'm eager and excited to continue to learn, explore, and embark on this new adventure together.

On that note - if there are any specific topic ideas, or anything you may want Jason to discuss specifically in a future article, please post in response to this forum thread! Whether you want to learn more about card counting, Erdnase, or overcoming performance anxiety - there is no topic that is off limits.

What would you like to learn more about? What would you like Jason to explore?
 
Dec 5, 2009
33
2
This is fascinating. I'm inspired to grab all of those books and focus on each, one by one, until my mind explodes. In all seriousness, Jason, theory11: thank you. Spectacular. I am very grateful for this. You continue to raise the bar and set the standard.

As a suggestion, I would be curious in a future article to answer one simple question: how do you "get good"? More specifically, what things can I do today to increase my chances of ever, possibly, one day having skill that rivals that of Jason England, Bill Kalush, Chris Kenner, or Andrei Jikh? What divides the proficient novice with the polished professional?

Is it simply a matter of time, and practice, or are these guys practicing differently than I am? I'd be curious to know that, and hear any suggestions from a real mechanic of magic on how to best perfect and polish my moves.
 
Dec 5, 2009
33
2
I think it would be cool if Jason talked about some of the first magic in the world that came out of ancient Egypt, such as the torn and restored bull's head.

I'd be curious to hear some insight on that, as well. Where did magic start? Literally - like where was the absolute first recorded reference to a magic effect being performed, and when did it become an "accepted" form of entertainment? Things like that.
 
Aug 23, 2008
30
0
Ellusionist has Daniel Madison, we have Jason England.

With due respect to Daniel Madison (I'm a fan!), I don't think this is much a comparison. I do admire Madison's style, persona, and creativity, but with regard to informative guidance and intellectual research, Jason England is among the best alive. This is exciting! Thank you, theory11!
 
Sep 1, 2007
1,395
8
37
Belgrade, Serbia
With due respect to Daniel Madison (I'm a fan!), I don't think this is much a comparison. I do admire Madison's style, persona, and creativity, but with regard to informative guidance and intellectual research, Jason England is among the best alive. This is exciting! Thank you, theory11!

The comparison is the fact the both sites now, approx. at the same time, have a famous magician to a weekly "show".

And what I would like to see? To be completely honest, I would LOVE to see JE actually perform MAGIC for a live audience. I always hear in his downloads or podcast that he is using the said technique in live performances when he's doing magic. Well I would like to see one of those live performances because I just cannot picture him in one.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Jan 1, 2009
2,241
3
Back in Time
I think it would be great if he talked about things like Direction of attention and timing, and how to properly use those two techniques to get away with doing bold or not so bold things.
 

RickEverhart

forum moderator / t11
Elite Member
Sep 14, 2008
3,637
471
46
Louisville, OH
Toby, wow, you just stated what I was thinking as well. I would love to see Jason England performing live for a group of spectators, completely uncut. The spectators could be anyone not "involved" with the magic world. Just random people outside, or at a restaurant. Someone who has NO idea who he even is.
 
Nov 27, 2012
11
0
I'd really love to hear his thoughts on attention management of all kind, through misdirection, psychology, verbal or visual methods, I think the whole mindset a magician should have and should be able to create on the spectator is truly fascinating!
 

Justin.Morris

Elite Member
Aug 31, 2007
2,793
888
Canada
www.morrismagic.ca
Great stuff. I agree. Why hasn't Jason written a book yet?

A few years back Jason wrote a controversial post about your reputation and online personal. I would love for him to tackle that topic again because I think the concept was spot on.
 
Searching...
{[{ searchResultsCount }]} Results