AFFINITY: The 3rd Way

Affinity: The 3rd Way

by

Paul Voodini

*

Copyright Paul Voodini 2014

*

Unauthorised reproduction

absolutely forbidden

We are Nothing

if

We are not Love

Introduction

For a long time I earned my living as a tarot card

reader. Even when I was being employed to work at

various functions as a magical entertainer, my ability to

provide tarot card readings was a skill that I fell back on

time and time again. If I can do one thing well, I believe, it

is provide good readings.

I have often wondered why I seem to have a knack for

providing readings, and after much deliberation I think I

have come to an answer.

Firstly, I do not employ any cold reading tricks. I

learned how to read tarot cards in the traditional manner –

IE I studied each card and its meaning and committed

these meanings to memory – and because of this it has

never crossed my mind to employ any stock phrases or

cold reading tricks. I simply tell the sitter what each card

means. I am, in a very real sense,a tarot card reader.

Secondly, I have a deep seated desire for people to like

me. I worry that my reading may not be good enough or

that the sitter will tell me that I am making no sense.

Because of this I am earnest in my endeavour and want to

make an emotional connection with the sitter whereby we

experience the reading as a team, rather than performer

and spectator. I feel that sitters pick up on my earnest

desire for them to like me, and my desire for the reading

to be a positive experience for them.

Therefore, in a nutshell, my personal key to providing

positive, uplifting, and accurate readings is all in the mind.

But not in the mind of the sitter. In the mind of the reader.

Of Shut Eyes and Open Eyes

I have often is the past used the phrases 'shut eye' and

'open eye' to differentiate between those readers who

believe they have some paranormal or esoteric gift (shut

eye) and those who know that they are using certain

techniques, often referred to as 'cold reading' (open eye). I

shall, no doubt, use these phrases once again in this text.

However this book is sub-titled 'The Third Way', and the

reason for this is that I have always tried to steer my own

path somewhere between both the shut eye and the open

eye. In a strange way, I have always regarded myself as

being both shut eye and open eye at the same time. It is

my intention to explain why I believe this, and also to

describe how you too can walk this 'third way' in this

manuscript.

Both the path of the shut eye and the path of the open

eye have their advantages and disadvantages. Let us look

at each standpoint in a little more detail.

Shut Eyes

Shut eyes take several different forms, but in the main it

boils down to this: they regard their method of divination

(tarot cards, palm reading, crystal ball etc.) as a tool by

which their particular talents are able to express

themselves. They may believe that they are psychic or that

they have a heightened sense of intuition, or they may

believe that they have mediumistic abilities and that spirits

talk to them. However they perceive their abilities, the

tarot cards etc. help them to interpret the messages that

their talents are sending them.

They believe whole-heartedly in their ability, and their

belief is that their 'gift' comes with a duty to help others.

However once the individual begins to believe that they

have some supernatural power that 99% of the population

do not possess, it is very easy to start to elevate one's

perception of oneself, and to begin to think that one is

'better' than others. The psychic world abounds with

horror stories of readers who have said the most awful

things to their sitters – from predictions of death and

illness through to chastisements from dead relatives living

in spirit – and all because the reader believes they have a

'gift' and feel they must say everything that they 'see'

regardless of how such information may affect the sitter.

The phrase 'I tell the sitter everything, warts and all' is too

often worn as a badge of honour by readers who seem to

take a perverse delight in leaving their sitters in tears.

However at least these shut eyes truly believe they have

a gift and are honest, if perhaps a little misguided, in this

belief. There are some of course who know only too well

that they have no gift at all but use the psychic world as a

vehicle to gain fame and wealth. This manuscript is not

intended to deal with or even discuss these people. We

know they exist, there is no denying that they are out

there, but they are fewer in number than most suppose and

no matter how one huffs and puffs, there will always be

'rotten eggs' in all areas of human society.

Open Eyes

Open eyes are readers who are aware that they possess

no special gifts, but they have learned how to understand

and interpret various divination techniques, whether they

be tarot cards, palm reading etc. They will see themselves

merely as 'readers' as opposed to being 'psychic' or

'mediums'. They are aware that they are using a technique

to provide the readings, but they do so with a good heart

and with the genuine intention of wanting to help others

(along with, as always, to earn money).

Many mentalists who become readers would fall into

this bracket. In the past I have staged and promoted

psychic fairs in the UK, and have populated them with

mentalists giving readings. I felt safer and happier

employing mentalists rather than psychics and mediums

because I knew that, for the most part, mentalists would

not go down the 'warts and all' route and upset their sitters.

However the techniques often employed by mentalists

(perhaps crudely described as 'cold reading') are now so

openly available that they can be picked up, learned and

employed by those from the magical word whose

intentions are, perhaps, a little more vague. The magician,

for example, who is used to finishing routines with a 'ta-

da' moment, may look for a similarly big finish when

providing a reading. Perhaps seeing the sitter emotionally

affected by the reading will give the misguided magician

an impression of a 'ta-da' moment and he may go out of

his way to achieve this big finish, without understanding

that in readings there should be no big finishes, no drum

rolls, no crashing cymbals, but simply an understanding

ear and compassion.

Like the psychic who believes they have a god given

gift, the magician in possession of a little knowledge

elevates himself above the sitter due to the belief that he

knows the secret of how to provide readings.

Both open eye and closed eye readers have an inherent

danger of seeing themselves as being 'better' than those

they read for. This leads us then to the first rule of the 3rd

Way:

Rule #1 of the 3rd Way:

When giving a reading, imagine

that the sitter is actually there to

provide a reading for you.

There is an organic affinity betweenjoyousness and tenderness, and their

companionship in the saintly life needin no way occasion surprise. -

William James.

Love is the affinity which links anddraws together the elements of theworld. Love, in fact, is the agent of

universal synthesis. - Pierre Teilhardde Chardin.

Affinity vs Sympathy

The title of this book is 'Affinity: the 3rd Way'. You may

be wondering why I chose the word Affinity for the title.

The truth is that this book is all about affinity, and in

particular affinity as it relates to providing readings.

Affinity, essentially, is the 3rd Way.

I hate to do the clichéd thing and give the dictionary

definition of affinity, but I'm going to anyway! And then

I'm going to go on to outline just why I believe affinity is

so very important if you want to become a great reader.

Not just a good reader, but a great reader.

NB – I'm assuming at this point that everyone who

will read this manuscript understands that when I say

'reader' I am referring to a person who gives readings

with tarot cards, palms, crystal balls, etc., as opposed to

somebody who reads books!?

So, those dictionary definitions of the word affinity:

A natural attraction, liking, or feeling of kinship.

An inherent similarity between people.

A relationship or resemblance that suggests a common

origin.

Almost every person who will ever come to you for a

reading will do so because they have some problem or

issue on their mind. This is true whether you work as a

one-to-one reader whereby you visit people in their own

homes or perhaps where they come to you, or whether you

work exclusively providing 'psychic parties' or at psychic

fairs. Even if you only provide readings in an

entertainment setting, perhaps as a strolling palm reader or

similar, you can be sure that every single person you come

across has some issue or problem on their mind. It is a

truth of the human condition that, whether they admit it to

you or not, every single person in this world has

'something on their mind'. Any human being who isn't

pondering an issue, debating something in their mind,

analysing something, or just downright worried, is

probably insane.

Think about your own life right now. How many issues

are passing through your mind right now? From the

mundane - “How am I going to get to the shops and get to

work on time?” - to the dramatic - “I don't think I love my

partner any more.” You, and all humans, are continually

worried/concerned/anxious to varying degrees about a

wide variety of issues.

Knowing this fact may prompt you to, when providing

readings, give sympathy to your sitter. To try to make

them feel better. However I believe that this is the wrong

approach. Rather than offering sympathy, I believe the

reader should instead offer affinity.

Affinity creates connections between people. Sympathy

drives those connections away.

Affinity says, “I understand what you are going through

and I want you to know that you are not alone.”

Sympathy says, “Cheer up! Things could be worse!”

It can be very difficult to create affinity with a sitter,

because in order to do so you, as a reader, have to connect

with something in yourself that has felt or does feel in a

similar way, and that can make you feel vulnerable. It is a

self-preservation tactic employed by many readers to

create an emotional wall between them and their sitters, to

protect themselves from feeling upset. However in order

to be a great reader, I believe that is essential that the

reader embraces those emotions that are so often guarded

against.

A great reader has the ability to understand and take on-

board the perspective of the sitter, to stay well clear of

judgemental feelings, to recognise the emotions in the

sitter and to communicate this understanding. It is not the

reading that will leave the sitter feeling better; it is the

conversation, the connection, the opportunity to talk to

another human being who isn't going to judge them, offer

them a quick fix, or tell them to 'turn that frown upside

down'. The great reader simply understands and feels an

affinity for the sitter.

I will explain how this connection is made...

Rule #2 of the 3rd Way:

Connect With Something in Yourself

that Knows that Feeling!

On some occasions the sitter will tell you right away

what the issue on her mind is. Other times this declaration

may come at some point during the reading. When you

discover what the issue on the sitter's mind is, connect

with that emotion in yourself. Look inside yourself, seek it

out, and bring it to the fore. Offer a sense of affinity with

your sitter. Simply by connecting with a similar emotion

within yourself, this will communicate your understanding

on a subconscious level to the sitter. They will begin to

relax, to trust you, and to feel themselves this sense of

affinity.

The sitter may never reveal to you exactly what their

personal issue is. In this case, and at the start of each

reading, by aware of your own emotions and issues. Allow

yourself to be vulnerable, open, and welcoming. That way

a sense of kinship, of affinity, will be forged effortlessly.

One human being to another with an unsaid dialogue

passing between the two that says, “I understand.”

The issues on most sitters' minds will be either

love/romance or work/money related. All problems in

life boil down to these two issues. The distillation of life

produces two compounds – love and money. You

yourself know all about love and money. You yourself

are an expert on both subjects. You know, you

understand, what is on the sitter's mind because it is

on your mind too. Connect with them and form that

affinity.

Rule #3 of the 3rd Way:

Don't Look for a Silver Lining!

We have already spoken of the difference between

affinity and sympathy. Affinity says “I understand”,

whereas sympathy says “Cheer up! Things could be

worse!”

A sitter sits before you and reveals that she is afraid that

her relationship is breaking down.

Affinity says: “I understand. I have been there too. You

are not alone.”

Sympathy says: “I'm sure everything will be okay.”

A sitter sits before you and reveals that she is afraid that

she will soon lose her job.

Affinity says: “I understand. I have been there too. You

are not alone.”

Sympathy says: “It might be for the best! As one door

closes, another opens.”

A sitter sits before you and reveals that they are

concerned that their partner is being unfaithful.

Affinity says: “I understand. I have been there too. You

are not alone.”

Sympathy says: “It'll all work out for the best, you'll

see.”

A good reader will offer sympathy. A great reader will

demonstrate affinity. A poor reader, of course, will do

neither but will blurt out their impressions 'warts and all'.

Rule #4 of the 3rd Way:

Thank You for Sharing!

If a sitter shares some intimate detail with you, even if

it's only to tell you that they're worried they might lose

their job, thank them for sharing this deeply personal

piece of information with you! After all, you are likely to

be a complete stranger to them, and the fact that they feel

comfortable enough to divulge intimate details about their

life with you is not only a testament to you as a reader, but

to the bravery and trust of the sitter. It takes a lot to

become vulnerable in the eyes of a stranger – thank them

for trusting you enough to do this. It doesn't have to be a

long exchange. Simply say, “Thank you for sharing that.”

At that point they will know you to be the great reader that

you are.

Rule #5 of the 3rd Way:

I Love You!

It may sound a little twee, but love really is the greatest,

most powerful emotion of all. Every sitter you will ever

encounter in your life as a reader is someone's mother,

someone's daughter, someone's wife, girlfriend, aunty or

grandmother. Every sitter knows love intimately. When

you look at them, imagine how much love they have

surrounding them. See it as an aura, and imagine how

many people in this world love this person. It may only be

one person, it may be a hundred, but the truth is that

everyone you will encounter has love in their life and has

experienced love throughout their life, in one form or

another, to lesser or greater degrees.

Everybody has had their heart broken, everybody has

lost a loved one, everyone has cried themselves to sleep at

night. We all know love intimately. It is usually a

comforting blanket to wrap around us. Occasionally it

seems to mock us, and can even make us cry. But we all

know love, we all love others, and others love us.

When you meet a sitter for the first time, decide to add

your own love to theirs. At first sight, this notion may

seem like some kind of hippy free love nonsense. But

think for a moment. How much more motivated would

you be to provide a good reading for someone who you

loved? You would want to do your very best for them,

because you care about them and would want to ensure

that the reading was an uplifting, positive experience.

It would be, I fear, just a little too twee if I was to

suggest to you that every time you encountered a new

sitter you think to yourself, “I love you.” That you look at

the sitter and decide that for the duration of the reading,

you will tell yourself that you love this person. That would

simply be a little too much, wouldn't it? But hey, why not

try it? Give it a go. See how it works out for you.

On occasion I have encountered a less than enthusiastic

sitter, or a particularly cynical sitter. Perhaps they didn't

really want a reading but were forced into it by a friend or

partner, or perhaps they were a little worried by what the

'psychic' was going to say to them or reveal about them,

and this anxiety manifested itself as negativity. By telling

myself that I love this person, this unenthusiastic and

slightly confrontational sitter, I have managed to win them

around, to relax, to start to enjoy the experience, and have

them leave with a smile on their face. How does this

work? Perhaps it is that they pick up on the nuances of my

body, voice, and the words that I use, all inspired by me

telling myself that I love this person. Or perhaps the fact

that I tell myself that I love this person inspires me to give

a better reading than I would have otherwise, and the fact

that I am so obviously going the extra mile, being earnest

and interested in them, wins them over, cracks the ice, and

allows their true personality to flourish.

Whatever the truth, whatever the reason, all I can report

back to you is that it works. In my mind I see myself as

almost forcing them to like me by the strength of the love

that I am projecting out. I see myself as a super-hero with

telepathic powers, but the only energy I can transmit with

this power is love. Perhaps my super-hero name should be

Love Man. I'd get my ass kicked by Batman, that's for

sure.

At the very least I would suggest that when you

encounter a new sitter, you think to yourself, “I

acknowledge that you know love, that you love and are

loved. I see love around you as others may see an aura.”

Or perhaps it would just be easier to think, “I love you.”

Don't for a moment see this as being fake, false, or

disingenuous. Love is limitless, there's oodles to spread

around. Giving a little love to a stranger is a very positive

statement. And please, I'm talking about love in an

emotional sense. It's not code for sex or anything, you

dirty minded people.

Interlude

Woody: Look Jessie, I know you hate me for leaving, but

I have to go back. I'm still Andy's toy. Well, if you knew

him, you'd understand. See, Andy's...

Jessie: Let me guess. Andy's a real special kid, and to

him, you're his buddy, his best friend, and when Andy

plays with you it's like... even though you're not moving,

you feel like you're alive, because that's how he sees you.

Woody: How did you know that?

Jessie: Because Emily was just the same. She was my

whole world.

Everyone you meet is

fighting a battle that

you know nothing

about, but which you

understand perfectly.

Rule #6 of the Third Way:

Good Memories are Tinged with

Sadness.

In my previous works on cold reading, most notably my

Cold Reading Lecture, I talk about the very broad formula

which describes how every person tends to view their life.

This formula is:

The past was bad

The present is okay but decisions now have to be made

The future will be better

To quote from the Cold Reading Lecture:

“I quickly realised that no matter what the actual truth

might be, people tend to believe that the past year has

been a time of trials and tribulations. There may have been

some good elements, but in the main it has been a period

when it has been necessary to climb over some hurdles. I

believe that this is just another manifestation of the inner

spoilt child believing that they get it worse than others!

“The human experience, in the 21st Century, is such

that we are met with a series of decisions to be met and

made on an almost daily basis. We are constantly having

to make decisions about our lives, our careers and our love

lives. Should I look for a new job, am I happy in my

relationship, should I change my car, should I grow my

hair or get it cut, should I visit my parents more often,

where shall I go on vacation this year, what shall we have

for dinner, should I see the teacher about my child? All of

these are just a few examples of decisions that most

people wrestle with on a daily basis. Let me repeat that, a

daily basis.

“I don't want to make anyone feel insecure in their

relationship, but it is my experience that people examine

their love life every single day of their life, if not every

hour. (Affinity edit: This is especially true for females, less

so for males. A huge generalisation of course, but one that

is born out by experience) Am I happy in my relationship

(a ridiculously high percentage are not)? Should I run off

with the guy/girl in the office? People spend a ridiculous

amount of time analysing and making decisions about

their relationships. Careers are an issue that people are

also constantly examining, and of course there are a

hundred different decisions that are forced onto us by

circumstance, from do I want to accept the promotion that

means moving to another city to can I struggle on for

another week with that old vacuum cleaner that gives me

an electric shock every time I switch it off?

“We are quite literally at a crossroads in life every day

of our life! It is the price we pay for having more choice in

life. A hundred years ago (and certainly 200 years ago),

you got married once and stuck with it no matter what.

These days we have the freedom to explore our

relationships, our sexuality, and to make changes in our

lives if we are not happy. This is a good thing, but it

comes at a price. That price is the belief that things are

always better on the other side of the hill. And the choice

we have (and it's a choice we think about on a daily basis)

is when exactly to make our excuses and make tracks

towards that hill!

“The strange thing is that we don't realise we are at a

crossroads in life every day. Every day we are making

decisions, but once we have made those decisions we edit

them out of our lives. We forget about them. We forget

about them because we are caught up with this day's and

this week's decisions. We forget all about the other

crossroads we have dealt with because we are too busy

dealing with our current crossroads! Therefore when

analysing their life, people are aware that there are

decisions to be made in the here and now, but they don't

realise that there are decisions to be made each and every

day. They erroneously believe that once this day's, this

week's, or this month's decisions have been made, that will

be it. They'll be off and running, decisions made, full

speed along the open road ahead! Wrong. This time next

year they'll still be bogged down in decision making. They

may be different decisions that need to be made, but they

will be there all the same.

However due to this the formula for how people view

life holds true: past = bad, present = decisions, future =

good.”

This principle is so important as a reading technique

that I feel it is important to repeat it here. Essentially,

when providing a reading, bear in mind the fact that the

person sitting opposite you probably views their life along

the formula recounted above. There is no need to say as

much explicitly; it is often enough just to have the idea

bubbling away as an undercurrent, and can be alluded to

as the reading progresses. Other times you can bring out

the big guns, and be none-too subtle about it. One of my

favourite opening gambits in a reading is, after laying

down the cards, to say this: “Well, taking a quick look at

the cards here, I can tell you one thing for sure. The

coming year is going to be a lot better than the last year!”

Then, judging by their reaction (which is usually to smile

and nod vigorously), to follow this is up with: “Because I

can see that you've certainly had a lot of hurdles to get

over during the past year!” Obviously I can not say this to

every person I read for, but it is a great opening gambit to

be used sparingly. In truth I will only say it if the cards are

actually indicating such a thing. But if the cards do

indicate this, then I go for it in the sure and certain

knowledge that I'm about to blow them away! The

reactions you will garner from such a statement are a

broad smile at least, the sagging of the shoulders that

means the person you are reading for now, suddenly,

explicitly trusts you and knows you are a good reader and

therefore can relax, all the way through to tears – not of

sadness but of relief that here is someone (you) who

finally understands them and understands what they've

been going through. The key word here is understands.

You understand them. You have an affinity for them.

But believe it or not, we can make this even more

potent.

Here is a statement, and I shall go on to explain it

afterwards:

All happy memories are tinged

with sadness.

Take a moment now to examine your own happy

memories, memories of things that happened perhaps five

or more years ago. Think of the happiest memories and

keep those memories in mind. Now realise that along with

that happy memory, there will also be some sadness

attached to it. For example, thoughts of a happy day spent

with a partner will be tinged with sadness if you are no

longer with that partner, or if you feel that your

relationship is not that happy any more. Memories of

children will be tinged with sadness if they are now grown

up and not the little bundles of joy that they once were.

Thoughts of family holidays and vacations will be tinged

with sadness if some family members have passed on or if

get-togethers of that nature no longer occur. Every happy

memory has had some element of sadness or regret

attached to it by the intervening years.

I repeat because it's very important: every happy

memory has had some element of sadness or regret

attached to it by the intervening years.

Memories become happier and yet more melancholy

the more years pass by. It is the human condition to look

back on even the hardest of times through rose tinted

glasses and view them as being happier than they really

were. And behind the rose tinted glasses are tears; tears of

loss and regret and what-ifs.

How does such knowledge then fit in with the formula

mentioned above? It is my belief and my experience that it

should be amended to look something like this:

The past (5+ years ago) = good.

The past 12 months = bad.

The present = decisions to be

made.

The future = good.

So now, while providing a reading, a simple phrase

such as: “I'm picking up on some very happy memories.

This is going back in time now. It's further into the past

than the last year. This is going back maybe five years,

perhaps even more, maybe ten years. A very powerful

impression of happy times, but there's a sadness in there

too. A sadness that seems to have crept in more recently.

The memories are happy, but there's a sense of melancholy

or regret that has come to surround this memory too.”

Read that statement back and see if it applies to you. If

you're older than 25, there's a very good chance that you

will be able to place it and understand it. And realise that

if somebody said it to you, it would sound specific and

poignant.

This tool can also be used if the subject of the past (5

years or more) crops up during a reading. Perhaps you

have mentioned that the past 12 months have been a little

tough. “Yes,” agrees the person you are reading for, “but it

wasn't always that tough. I have a lot of happy memories

from the past ten years.”

“I'm sensing that as well,” you agree, “but, and excuse

me if I'm wrong here, I'm also picking up on some sense

of sadness tied in with those happy memories. I'm not sure

why. It seems to me that you have some very happy

memories, but more lately a sense of regret has somehow

seeped in. It's very strange. Would that make sense to

you?”

This is a powerful tool, the knowledge that regret and

remorse become an integral part of happy memories the

more distant the memory becomes. Use it wisely.

To recap – the six rules of the Third

Way:

#1 Imagine the sitter is reading for

you.

#2 Connect with something in

yourself that knows that feeling.

#3 Don't look for a silver lining.

#4 Thank you for sharing.

#5 I love you.

#6 Good memories are tinged with

sadness.

Rule #7 of the Third Way:

Imagine That!

“For that is where all crimes are

conceived and solved – the imagination,”

- Sherlock Holmes.

Now it's time for a little visualisation exercise! I'm

about to describe a place, and I want you to imagine it in

your mind. My description will be a little vague, so I want

you to add as much detail of your own to the image as you

possibly can.

You are in a library. To your left and your right are

bookshelves, and these bookshelves are crammed full with

books. In the middle of the room is a small round table.

There are six objects upon the table. Walk up to the table

and note what the objects are. It is not important to

memorise these objects, just look at them, and be aware of

them. At the far end of the room, there is a door. It is

closed.

Now, please, take a few moments, or even a few

minutes, to look around this library. You may wish to do

this exercise with your eyes closed or with your eyes open

– it really doesn't matter. Simply do this exercise in a

fashion that feels the most comfortable to you.

You know that the walls to the left and right of you are

home to bookshelves full of books, you know that there is

a table in the middle of the space and that there are six

objects upon the table, and lastly you know that at the far

end of the room there is a closed door. Apart from these

few facts, all the rest of the details regarding this library

are open to your own interpretation. So imagine this space

in your mind, and fill in all of those details. What is the

style of the library? Ornate or functional, or something

else perhaps? What is floor covered with? Carpet?

Marble? Wood? How bright is the library? Are their

lights? What are the shelves like? Can you read any of the

titles of the books? Perhaps you can look at the spines and

spot the words written there? Is there any noise? How

does the library make you feel? Take a few moments and

imagine the library, and realise that as you do you are

creating your own personal library. Nobody else will have

a library like yours. This library is unique. It is yours.

One you've taken a quick look around your library,

relax, open your eyes (if they were closed), and take a nice

deep breath. Well done! You've just visited a place that I

like to call the Imaginarium!

Think Left & Think Right & Think

Low & Think High! Oh the Thinks

you can Think if only you try! - Dr.

Seuss.

Imagination will often carry us to

worlds that never were. But without it

we go nowhere. - Carl Sagan.

Interlude

Sansa & Shae sit by the harbour looking out at the ships

arriving and departing. They play a game, imagining

stories and attributing them to the ships.

Sansa: “Dorne. It's going to Dorne.”

Shae: “Why Dorne?”

“It's carrying silk and it's supposed to bring back wine

in exchange. But it's not coming back. The captain's tired

of risking his life so King's Landing lords and ladies can

get drunk on better wine than they deserve. He's going to

stay in Dorne. Wait out the winter where it's beautiful and

warm.”

“I met some people in Dorne who weren't so beautiful

and warm.”

“Don't ruin the game.”

“I told you, I don't want to play.”

“What about that one there?”

“That one? It's going to Volantis.”

“Why?”

“Because when I got on a ship in Volantis, it looked like

that one.”

“That's not how the game works. You're not supposed to

just blurt out the right answer. You've got to invent a story

about where the ship is going and why.”

“Why should I make up a story when I know the truth?”

“Because the truth is always either terrible or boring.”

The Imaginarium is your personal space, and within it

you will find the answers you are seeking. It is your own

tool for providing wonderful readings. It augments any

reading technique (tarot, palm etc.) that you chose to use,

and will enhance the reading experience for both you and

your sitter.

Over the next few days, try to visit your Imaginarium

on several occasions. The more you do this, the easier it

will become. It will become easier to picture the library in

your mind and easier to imagine yourself entering it. With

only a little practice you will find that you can enter the

Imaginarium at a moment's notice.

How does it work?

The six objects sitting upon the table represent the six

laws discussed so far, namely: Imagine the sitter is reading

for you, connect with something in yourself that knows

the feeling, don't look for a silver lining, thank you for

sharing, I love you, and good memories are tinged with

sadness.

The six objects are unique to you. When you visit the

Imaginarium (by relaxing, perhaps closing your eyes, and

imagining your library), you will note the six objects on

the table and each one will remind you of one of the laws.

The six objects may remain the same, and every time you

visit the Imaginarium you will see the same exact objects.

Or the objects may change every time you visit. It doesn't

matter. You will be aware of how each of the six objects

remind you of one of the laws.

The books on the shelves provide all the answers that

you are looking for. The bookshelves on the left hold

books that talk of the past. They provide answers to

questions posed by past events and things that have

already happened. The books on the right talk of the

future. They provide answers to questions posed about the

future and things that have yet to transpire.

The door at the end of the room is closed. But behind it

lays some miraculous truth. Only open this door on special

occasions when extra insight is needed. It may be very

tempting to open this door every time you visit your

library, and to be honest no harm whatsoever can come

from opening this door every time. However my

experience, and my advice to you, is that the door works

best when it is used sparingly.

How do you use the Imaginarium?

The following explanation is based around a tarot card

reading, but it applies equally to any other kind of reading.

Your querent is seated opposite you. Remembering the

six rules previously discussed, you deal out the tarot cards

in whatever configuration you happen to be using. Once

the cards are dealt, you take a cursory look over them, and

get a flavour of what the cards are saying. Then just take a

moment to relax and in your mind enter the Imaginarium.

Now don't worry! You won't be spaced out for minutes at

a time with the sitter looking at you as though you've gone

crazy! This will take only a few seconds! Close your eyes

if you need to, and relax and imagine yourself in the

Imaginarium. First of all feel which way you are being

pulled. Are you being drawn to the books on the left (the

past) or the right (the future). Which way do you want to

head? To the left or the right?

Once you have discovered this (and really, it should

take no more than 5 seconds), begin your reading in your

normal fashion – remembering and employing the six

rules that we have discussed earlier in this manuscript.

Adding those six rules to your normal reading style will

hopefully enable you to enhance your readings, but by

also adding the information gleamed from the

Imaginarium, you will now be able to really provide

readings that are nuclear powered! How so? Well already

you have gleamed ('intuited', used your 'gut instinct',

whatever) the nature of the issue on your sitter's mind.

Whether you felt yourself being drawn to the left or the

right in the library, tells you if the issue at the forefront of

the sitter's mind is from their past (the left) or is regarding

a future event (the right). You have this knowledge now at

your disposal, and this can help you target the reading in

the right direction.

This small piece of knowledge may be enough, and

thanks to it you may answer any queries or questions that

the sitter has. However sometimes you may feel the need

to provide further answers or clarifications that seem to be

beyond the grasp of the cards. In these circumstances, re-

enter the library and feel yourself being drawn towards the

appropriate bookshelf (either to the left or the right). Once

you imagine yourself standing in front of the bookshelf, be

drawn instinctively to one book on the shelf. Pull it down,

open it up, and read the words that are written there. At

first this may take a little practice, to imagine a coherent

sentence or message written upon the page, so practice

doing this several times before attempting to use it with a

sitter. However you will find it easier than you might

think. Imagine opening up the book, and you find written

upon the page that you turn to a message or some insight

that it relevant to the sitter. Sometimes this will be merely

a single sentence (or even a single word), other times it

may be a paragraph. However long or short the message

is, it will be pertinent to the sitter.

And then on very rare occasions you may wish to walk

to the end of the room and open the door at the end. Once

the door is open, you may imagine yourself stepping

through it or merely looking through the door frame at the

scene outside. Trust your instinct on this; if you feel

unsure or even remotely worried, don't step through the

doorway. Nothing can hurt you of course, after all you are

simply imagining all this, but there's no sense in risking

upsetting yourself. If you feel happy, step through.

Otherwise, just take a look at the scene being played out

before you.

The scene being played out before you will give you a

great insight into the sitter opposite you. The scene may

be an actual scene from their lives, or, more likely, it will

be a metaphor for something that is going on in their lives.

You will see all manner of scenes, the scope and range of

which it would be silly of me to even try to list. It will be

like pulling a random DVD from a shelf, and flicking to a

random scene – you could quite literally see anything!

If you feel happy, step through the door and immerse

yourself in the scene. Otherwise simply observe from the

safety and sanctuary of your Imaginarium.

Because the scene you will witness on the other side of

the door will often be a metaphor, it may make absolutely

no sense to you. This does not matter. All you need to do

is vocalise what you are seeing. Open up your eyes, look

at your sitter, and simply explain what you saw. You can

preface this by saying something along the lines of: “I

don't know why but I am seeing....(and here explain what

you saw on the other side of the door). Does that mean

anything to you, or can you think why I might be seeing

this?”

I did a reading for someone, and decided to go through

the door at the end of my Imaginarium to see if I could

pick up on some information about them. When I opened

the door I could see them ice-skating on a frozen river. It

was a very Victorian-esque scene, with people dressed in

very smart clothes, and wearing big woolly hats and hand

muffs. I opened my eyes and said, “I don't know why, but

I'm seeing you ice-skating! It's on a frozen river. Why

would I be seeing you ice-skating?”

“My god!” they replied, visibly shocked. “When I was

ten years old I broke my leg ice-skating at the local rink!”

Now clearly I had no idea that this person had broken

her leg while ice-skating, and of course it could have been

(effectively) a lucky guess – after all, my ice-skating

vision had been full of grandeur and was very stylised,

whereas the reality of the local ice rink in which this lady

had broken her leg would probably have been very

different! However the prime ingredient was ice-skating

and I like to think that the Imaginarium had scored again!

Again, I recommend using the door at the end of the

library only for those occasions when you feel you want to

add something extra to the reading. You may use it every

time, but I feel that this would lessen its potency.

The final element in the library is the table upon which

are placed the six objects which remind us of the six rules.

They are there purely as a reminder, to ask you if you've

got the six rules in place and if you are remembering to

follow them. Please bear in mind that this table and the

contents upon it and there purely as a gentle reminder.

There is no need to go over to the table and check each

item on top of it in an analytical fashion. The fact that you

know the table is there, and that there are items upon it

will be enough.

The Imaginarium is such a potent tool that you may

decide that you no longer need the other tools of the

reader in order to provide highly powerful readings! Let

me repeat that: the Imaginarium is such a potent tool that

you may decide you don't need your cards, or the palm, or

the crystal ball in order to provide fantastic readings.

Think about it; once you are used to entering your

Imaginarium and gleaming the information there, you may

no longer need the standard tools of the reader. My

personal belief is that the Imaginarium works best in

tandem with another oracle (such as the tarot), but if you

are ever caught out without having your usual oracle to

hand, and you are in a situation where somebody is asking

you for a reading, you can be confident that by entering

your Imaginarium you can (and will) provide a wonderful

reading. And because you are not using a tool of any kind,

your sitter may regard the reading as all the more

miraculous because of it.

A nice technique to use is to hold the hands of the sitter

as you give them their reading. This will enable you to

make a stronger connection with them, although of course

only do this if both you and the sitter feel comfortable

doing so. You may only feel the need to hold hands for a

minute or two, and then let them fall free again. This is

often a preferable technique as opposed to steadfastly

holding the hands throughout the entire reading. You may

feel comfortable holding the hands throughout the reading,

but the sitter may be less sure. Put their feeling first, and

always let them have their hands back before they start to

feel uncomfortable or self-conscious.

If you are working purely with the Imaginarium, do not

be afraid to take more than one book off the shelves. Look

around the library, find the books, read the messages, and

pass them on. And of course you always have the door at

the end of the room to explore should you feel the need.

And of course, if your sitter ask you a specific question,

rather than blundering around trying to interpret the cards

or the palm in order to provide an answer, simply dip into

your Imaginarium, ask the question in your mind, and see

which book you are drawn to. The location of the book

(left or right, past or future) and the message within the

book will lead you to the required answer.

Additional ideas and tips:

Your Imaginarium is just that: yours. So although I

describe it as a library with bookshelves to the left and the

right, a table in the middle, and a door at the end, this

description is really just the basics. Feel free to make your

own Imaginarium as expansive as you wish. When

visiting your Imaginarium, explore a little. You may find

other doors leading to other rooms, and within these

rooms you may find new ways of obtaining information

for your sitters. There may be other doors that lead to the

outside of the library, and within the grounds of the library

you may find other ways in which metaphors are passed

on to you. Have fun and explore. Your Imaginarium is

limited only by (and excuse the pun) your imagination!

Your Imaginarium can also help you to seek answers

and insights into your own life. There will be books on the

shelves that relate to you. You may seek answers in this

library for yourself, and by doing so you will become

more experienced in entering and using the Imaginarium.

By all means do not be afraid to utilise the Imaginarium

for your own benefits. Indeed you are encouraged to do

exactly that.

And all that you need to do to leave the library is

merely open your eyes (or refocus them on your

surroundings) and take a nice breath. This is not a deep

meditative technique requiring rituals and mantras, but

simply a way to quickly and effectively access your

imagination. It is this simplicity that gives it its power.

When doing a reading, you will be able to enter your

Imaginarium without your sitter even being aware that you

are doing anything other than observing the cards (or

whatever) for a moment or two.

Tell me, what do you see?

A very useful tool to have in your armoury is the ability

to involve the sitter in a reading by asking their opinion.

This is deeper than simply asking, “Does that make sense

to you?” If providing a tarot card reading, you can show

the sitter a particular card and ask them, “What do you see

here?” And then encourage them to interpret the card and

explain how that interpretation may be associated with

their life. Explain that the images on tarot cards are often

regarded as metaphors, and ask them if they can see the

metaphor and how it applies to them. Another option with

tarot cards is to show the sitter the individual characters on

a card. Explain the characteristics of the individuals on a

particular card, and then ask them, “So who does that

remind you of in your life?” For example, I may push the

Queen of Swords towards the sitter and explain that the

Queen of Swords is often seen as a woman who can be a

little cold and aloof, but is also very determined to reach

her goals, and it is this determination that is sometimes

interpreted as coldness by those around her. Then I will

say to the sitter, “Does that remind you of anyone?” They

will invariably smile and tell you who it is. Sometimes it

is them, sometimes it is their mother, or their mother-in-

law, or their boss at work, or their best friend. It doesn't

matter. You are implying by this action that you knew all

along who it was, but were just seeing if the sitter herself

knew. Of course you had no idea, but that's not the point

and the sitter doesn't know that. With this small piece of

information (in this example who the Queen of Swords is,

but it could be any card), you are able to focus your

reading and give wonderful insights into your sitter's life.

A similar technique can be utilised for palm reading. If

there are lots of little lines coming off the heart line (for

example), you can explain what the heart line is and what

it means, and then say, “But look here. You see all these

small lines coming off from your heart line? What do you

imagine they mean?” If they merely reply, “Dunno,”

forget about it – they're clearly too unimaginative (or too

petrified by your presence!) to be of any help. Merely

continue with the reading. But if they give you a reply,

take that piece of knowledge and run with it. Perhaps they

will suggest that the small lines represent broken hearts,

ex-lovers, divorces, choices they had to make, hearts that

they themselves have broken, etc. With this knowledge,

readily given up by your sitter, you can go on to provide a

wonderful reading.

With a crystal ball, ask your sitter to look into the ball

and say what she can see. You get the idea.

In Performance...

I am often asked how cold reading can be introduced in

a magical or mind-reading performance, particularly in a

walk-around or intimate setting. The answer is: really

quite simply.

Obviously, cold reading works best when it is used

alongside some kind of mental magic. It is more difficult

to associate with classic magic such as linking rings,

ropes, etc. However for any kind of routine whereby the

performer has to know the unknowable, any kind of mind

reading effect, cold reading is a perfect bed-fellow.

Let us imagine a very simple scenario. Using a

preferred method (perhaps a force, stacked deck, or

marked deck), the performer must use his special talents to

divine a playing card that the spectator has 'secretly'

chosen. In the past (Magicians Guide to Palm Reading,

Reader of Minds) I have demonstrated how a palm reading

can be used to give the impression that this is how the

performer obtains the information – 'by looking at your

palm I can figure out what card you would likely be drawn

to'. The same formula can also be used by the tarot and the

crystal ball – the performer turns over a tarot card,

delivers a short reading, then ties the tarot card in with the

playing card chosen, or the performer merely gazes into

the crystal ball and divines the information from what he

sees in it. But the important thing is that the performer

first delivers a reading (it need only be a short 2 minutes

reading in an entertainment, strolling setting) before

revealing the chosen playing card. The reading is equally

as important as the actual final revelation of the card, and

should be seen as an integral part of the routine. The

reading should also be used as the 'fake explanation' as to

how the performer divined the information regarding the

card. “Thanks to all that I have seen, I believe that the card

you will have chosen is...”

The same principle (reading leading to revelation of

playing card) can of course be applied to a multitude of

other mind-reading routines such a billet switches, centre

tears, and impression pads. The reading is the method by

which the spectators believe you gained the knowledge,

but in many cases the reading will be as impressive (if not

more so) as the final reveal. By using a reading in this

manner, the routine is elevated from simply 'the clever

mind-reader read my mind' to 'he revealed things about me

that he could never have known!'

But now that you have been initiated in the ways of the

Imaginarium, rather than using palm reading or any other

method of divination, you can enter your own personal

library and gleam the information from there.

A quick example: The spectator has 'secretly' chosen a

card (let us say it is a 7 of Hearts). The performer holds

her hand, enters his Imaginarium (this all looks a bit weird

and freaky, especially if you close your eyes, which helps

to drama of proceedings), and then reveals the card. All

well and good. But we can take it even deeper. The

performer enters the library, and knowing that the

spectator has chosen the 7 of Hearts, he places that

information (perhaps in the shape of a playing card) onto

the table of reminders in the centre of the room. That way

he won't forget it. It will remain there for him as reminder

until he opens his eyes again. Then the performer allows

himself to be drawn to a book, he opens it up, reads the

message, and then leaves the Imaginarium and re-engages

the spectator. “It's funny,” says the performer, “but while I

was trying to gleam your playing card, I picked up on

something else as well. I seemed to pick up on the words:

It was Christmas and it was snowing and you were

looking out of the window waiting for your father to

return home. I have no idea what it means, but perhaps

you do?”

The above revelation comes from one of my own close-

up performances where I was using my own Imaginarium

as a tool while performing a simple card revelation

routine. The woman was quite taken aback and said that

she has a very strong memory of being a child and waiting

for her father to return home on a snowy Christmas Eve.

Then when I revealed her playing card as well, she was

really blown away. “It's funny the kind of information you

pick up on when you're playing around in people's

minds!” I said, and she (and her friend) were thoroughly

enthralled.

Now, listen, using the Imaginarium in this manner

means that sometimes your 'cold reading' element isn't

going to hit home 100%. This isn't as sure and as certain

as making a silk disappear with a thumb tip. Sometimes

the spectator may say, “No, that doesn't mean anything to

me.” But don't worry – that's fine. If I had said to a

spectator, “It's funny but while I was trying to gleam your

playing card, I picked up on something else as well. I

seemed to pick up on the words: It was Christmas and it

was snowing and you were looking out of the window

waiting for your father to return home. I have no idea

what it means, but perhaps you do?” and she had replied,

“No, sorry. It means nothing to me,” all I would have

needed to say is, “How strange! It is odd the kind of things

that I pick up on when I'm rummaging around in people's

minds! But anyway, please concentrate on your playing

card, and let me see if I can get it!” And I would be away,

successfully revealing the card, and the whole 'cold

'reading' element would have been forgotten.

But here's a funny thing: if I had mentioned the snowy

Christmas Eve scene to a spectator and she had rejected it,

if we were surrounded by three or four of her friends all

watching proceedings, I guarantee you that one of the

friends would have exclaimed, “Oh my god! That's me!”

And I would have said, “Ah! Now it makes sense! I'm

tuning in to you!”

Using your Imaginarium in this manner means that you

never have to fear being wrong, and it is a good way to

gain confidence in using your library with people. Initially

simply imagine yourself entering the library to get the

information, but say nothing about it to your spectators.

Just use it as your personal motivation. Then when you are

a little more confident, start to look around your library

and pick up pieces of information about the person in front

of you and perhaps start to mention these things to your

spectators (“It's funny but...”). Then when you are really

confident with using your Imaginarium, you can

experiment with using nothing but the library and dispense

with the 'trick' element altogether!

And why not take your spectator on the journey with

you? Imagine the situation. The spectator has 'secretly'

chosen the 7 of Hearts. You begin:

“Okay, so I'm going to let you in on a little secret.

There is a special technique that some mind-readers use,

and it enables us to perhaps read minds but also to pick up

on information about the people that we are lucky enough

to work with. I have a special library in my mind. It

sounds a little weird I know, but it's all done with the

power of my imagination. I have an imaginary library in

my mind that I can visit whenever I want, and in it is

stored all of the secrets that I need to know, such as the

name of your card. But I can sometimes pick up on other

information as well. Now this doesn't always work, but

shall we give it a try? Okay, so I'm just closing my eyes

and I'm imagining myself entering my library. On my left

and right and rows and rows of books. In the middle of the

floor is a grand table and on it are placed all manner of

objects, including, perhaps, your chosen playing card.

There's also a door at the end of the library, but I rarely go

through there. Okay, so I'm walking over to the table and

I'm searching for your card. I'm looking, I don't see it at

the moment. Um. Um. Oh, okay, here it is. Well, I'm not

sure, but the card that I've found on the table is the 7 of

Hearts. Would that makes sense to you?”

“Yes it would!” says the spectator.

“Oh, good. That's a good start! But let's see if we can

go a little deeper. Tell me, what's your name?”

“Maria.”

“Okay, Maria. I'm just looking for a book with your

name on it. I'm seeing if there's a special message for you

or some other kind of information for you stored in my

library.”

In the performer's mind he is genuinely seeing firstly if

he is being drawn to the left or right bookshelf (past or

present), and then he is looking for a book with Maria's

name on the spine. Once he has located the book, he

imagines himself opening it up, reads what is upon the

page, and announces it to Maria. Editorial discretion is

recommended if the message is anything slightly

worrying!

If the message makes sense to Maria, she will be totally

blown away. No matter what the message is, because the

original revelation of the playing card was correct, she

will be expecting the message to be correct too and will

work really hard to make it fit. Even if it doesn't make too

much sense, she will accept it after seeing how genuine

the performer has been with her and seeing his process of

entering his imaginary library to gleam the information.

Even if the message is rejected out of hand (a rare event),

the fact is that the performer still correctly revealed the

playing card and demonstrated the weird imaginary mind-

library technique that he uses to get such information! It

will always be an enthralling demonstration, and will be

perceived of as real magic, not trickery.

You will notice that the above demonstration of using

the Imaginarium in performance differs slightly from the

method by which I have traditionally used cold reading as

a 'false' method to divine information.

For instance, the classic palm reading to playing card

revelation works like this: performer reads palm and

delivers reading, from this information he reveals the

secret playing card.

In the above Imaginarium example, it worked like this:

performer enters Imaginarium, reveals playing card, and

then delivers reading/message.

There's no particular reason why I have chosen to swap

the order of things around with the Imaginarium example.

It just seems to work better for me. It is entirely possible

to enter the Imaginarium, deliver the reading (ask the

name, find the book, read out the message) and then

imagine yourself walking over to the table and reveal the

playing card. You may prefer that method – to have the

playing card revelation in reserve almost, as a guaranteed

kicker ending. The choice is yours. Play around with it,

see what sits best with you, and most importantly – enjoy

it. Once you start visiting the Imaginarium, you will find it

is a hugely useful place that may even aid you in your life

outside of magic and mentalism – and that would really be

magic!

With this kind of presentation I am often reminded of

my ex-wife! When collecting our children from school at

the end of the school day, the roads around the school are

always very busy with other parents collecting their

children. Parking is a nightmare. Because of this, when it

is my ex-wife's turn to collect the children she will park

her car quite a distance away from the school in order to

avoid the busy roads and the lack of parking. She parks

the car in a quiet road, knowing that she can easily get

parked, and then walks the rest of the distance to school.

On the other hand, me being me, I will always drive

directly past the school gates, weathering the bad traffic.

Why? Because I know that occasionally I will fall lucky

and a parking space will open up right outside the school

gates just as I'm driving by. It doesn't happen very often of

course, and usually I have to content myself with parking

almost as far away as my ex-wife. But on those occasions

when I do get to park outside the school it is like I have

won a memorable victory!

Most days the ex-wife and I park a similar distance

from the school. But on some days I get to park right

outside the school. How often do you think my ex-wife

gets to park directly outside the school? That's right.

Because she never tries, she never gets to park her car

directly outside the school.

Using your Imaginarium in close-up performance is a

lot more reliable than me getting to park outside school!

But the metaphor still stands. Try it, use it, because if you

don't you will never know.

A Final Word on the Third Way and

Performance...

The first half of this book was concerned with the rules

of the third way, and how they apply to cold reading. I

now want to quickly let you into yet another secret. Once

those rules are firmly embedded in your mind (and they'll

always be waiting for you on the table in the library

should you need reminding), try using them for your

performances too. Even performances where you won't be

using any cold reading whatsoever. Even if it's just

standing in front of someone and linking two rings

together (an honourable profession in and of itself), have

the six rules at the back of your mind – or even at the

forefront. Make your mind-set the same as if you were

delivering a reading instead of a more mainstream act, and

see how that inspires you to deliver a better and more

poignant performance.

The concept of Affinity can, and should, apply to all

aspects of the magical arts.

Enjoy. Be wise, be safe, and look after them.

The concept of

Affinity can, and

should, apply to

all aspects of the

magical arts.