baffling blocks

The Magicians’ Guide
To The
Baffling Blocks
Adventures With The

Charpentier Illusion
The Magicians’ Guide
To The
Baffling Blocks
Adventures With The

Charpentier Illusion
Ashton Carter
Foreword by Nik Taylor

Contributions from
Russell J. Hall, John Martin & Alan Wong
Carter’s Magical Events

2018
Copyright © 2018 Ashton Carter, All rights reserved
This book or any portion thereof may not be reprinted,

reproduced, distributed or used in any manner whatsoever or by
any electronic, mechanical or other means now known or
hereinafter invented including photocopying or recording in any
information storage or retrieval system without the express prior
written permission from the author or any other contributor
referenced
First Printing: 2018
Ebook version first published: 2020
ISBN 978-0-244-98328-4
All the routines in this book have been created by myself or the
contributors. I am aware the Baffling Blocks are not a new effect
and want to state for the record we have not copied any
presentations from other people and any similarity between
performances is due to the ingenuity and genius of both
performers.
Carter’s Magical Events

www.ashtoncartermagic.com
This book is dedicated to
Mary, George The Frog and Sheepy
For their endless patience, humour and support
And
Andy Hurst who named this effect
‘The Baffling Blocks’

Contents
Acknowledgements...............................................................ix
Foreword by Nik Taylor......................................................xii
Introduction..............................................................................1
What Are The Baffling Blocks?............................................5
Performance Variations........................................................8
Bar or Coffee Shop................................................................10
Pseudo Hypnosis...................................................................13
The Street Show.....................................................................15
Our Senses Fool Us...............................................................20
Séance and Bizarre Magic..................................................22
Quantum Mechanics............................................................25
A Couple In Love....................................................................29
Proof of Faeries.....................................................................31
Alien Technology Contributed by John Martin...........35
The Fortune Blocks Contributed by Russell J. Hall....39
Variations and Experiments.............................................48
Interview and Discussion...................................................52
Reframing Magic...................................................................62
Appendix: The Size-Weight Illusion...............................69
Bibliography...........................................................................76
Acknowledgements
There are many people I wish to thank without whom I
would not have been on my journey with the Baffling
Blocks. Since I began to seriously study magic in my 30’s I
have been fortunate to have met so many people who have
inspired and mentored me.
I often consider how much of a real community the

magic world is, and how open to sharing the magicians I
have met and worked with are. The support and
encouragement I see within magic is a real tonic to the
current state of the world. I regularly see people of all ages,
nationalities and beliefs sharing effects, tips and ideas and
looking after each other, obviously I am not counting the
nonsense I see spouted on the internet, but I try to ignore
that.
I would particularly like to thank several people and

groups who have helped me in regards to the Baffling
Blocks. The first group must be the excellent magicians of
Sheffield here in the UK. If you are not aware, Sheffield has
an amazing community of magicians without whom I would
not be the performer I am.
The other groups of people I am keen to thank are the

members of Psycrets (the British Society of Mystery
Performers) and the attendees of Doomsday the annual UK
meeting of Bizarre Magic and associated spooky and weird
things. Both groups are incredibly supportive and
welcoming.
ix
A big mention must go to Tonny van Rhee for
introducing me to this amazing illusion. His obvious delight
in the effect was highly infectious and that first time he
instructed me to ‘lift the top block’ was a true magical
moment.
I must also thank Roger Curzon who was with me at

the time and introduced me to Tonny. I am proud to consider
Roger both mentor and personal friend. As well as being a
superb magical thinker and performer he is a very good
teacher and has helped and inspired many magicians at the
start of their magic career. Without him the world of magic
would be much diminished.
I am indebted to Russell Hall the proprietor of

Sheffield’s Magic Shop, Magick Enterprises, along with
June and Julie. Russell has provided much advice and
encouragement as I wrote this (my first) magic publication. I
am grateful for his advice on layout and proof reading,
although I take full responsibility for any errors in the text.
He has also contributed a great effect and the excellent
Appendix.
I am grateful to Steve Drury for his advice on the

technical side of publishing the book and for his very helpful
suggestions.
A big thank you to Andy Hurst of Cavern Magic for

naming the effect, his information on its history and for
creating the first set blocks I ever owned.
Thanks to John Martin for his contribution and for

those short chats that turn into hours, which happen too
infrequently for my liking.
x
Throughout the book I use transcripts of actual
performances as well as provide an interview about my
thoughts around the Baffling Blocks. I must thank Luke
Robson for helping me create this content. Luke has seen me
perform the Blocks more than any person alive. He knows
several of these variations word for word, including the
pauses and gestures. As well as being a great friend and
collaborator he has provided great support over the past year
for which I am very grateful.
Through my years exploring the Baffling Blocks Nik

Taylor has provided the soundtrack. I only have to bring the
box I keep them in out of my bag and he will exclaim to the
room ‘Devilry’. You couldn’t ask for a better attention getter
than that. I have known Nik since meeting him at the first
Doomsday and he has become a great friend and co-
conspirator. He was always going to be the person I wanted
to write the foreword to this book. I was over the moon when
he agreed and thank him for all his help, support and those
epic road trips.
I could go on with this list, but realise it is becoming a

bit long, so will end with a big thank you to all the
performers, technicians, academics, members of the paying
public, puppets, magical creatures and paranormal entities
who have all played their part in helping me develop the
ideas in this book.
Ashton Carter, 2018
xi
Foreword by Nik Taylor
In the 1950’s, Danish horror film director Carl Dreyer is
famously quoted as saying;
‘Imagine that we are sitting in an ordinary room.

Suddenly we are told that there, behind the door is Ashton
Carter performing the Baffling Blocks. In an instant the room
we are sitting in is completely altered; everything in it has
taken on another look; the light, the atmosphere have
changed, though they are physically the same. This is
because we have changed and the objects are as we conceive
them’
Such is the uncanny power of the Baffling Blocks.
Scroll forward to 2013, Blackpool and the harsh reality

of Winter Garden coffee. Here a seemingly innocuous set of
blocks was passed to me across the table by Ashton himself.
There was no mistaking the trickster glint in that man’s eye,
it was a look that would make the Norse god Loki shrug and
get a proper day job. Something new and special had been
discovered. It was something uncanny and marvellous. I
could tell that Ashton knew that this had the potential to be
so much more than a simple puzzle or illusion.
It would be an exciting five years ...
… and the time is ripe to tell the world.
This volume represents the five years that Ashton has

toyed with and performed this illusion. I’ve had the pleasure
to experience his numerous presentations of the blocks, I’ve
xii
seen the work refined, shaped in real world settings. I have
seen it performed as part of a larger set, a stand-alone piece,
and a day long grind. Each time it has provoked interest,
wonder, and the experience of magic to all who would play.
The blocks themselves are simple, but the stories you

can tell with them are wide and far-reaching. Ashton shares
many of his own in this work, but you should also find yours
by investing in the potential of the Blocks and simply enjoy
them.
There is a chapter here about how the Blocks might

work, I prefer not to think about that. Outwardly, I claim that
this is due to me wanting to enjoy the uncanny feeling
without explanation. Inwardly, I believe them to be the work
of the devil. As Marlowe’s chorus warn in Dr. Faustus;
For, falling to the baffling blocks,

And glutted now with learning's golden gifts,
He surfeits upon cursed necromancy.
Nothing so sweet as magic is to him,
Which he prefers before his chiefest bliss.
Just saying.
Nik Taylor, 2018
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Ashton Carter
Introduction
This book represents my journey so far with the illusion I
know as ‘The Baffling Blocks’. My introduction to the
Blocks was during February 2013, whilst attending the
annual Blackpool Magic Convention. I sat for a coffee with
Tonny Van Rhee and Roger Curzon. During the conversation
Tonny pulled out three card boxes and walked us through
this wonderful illusion.
It would be an understatement to say my mind was blown.

Tonny let me play with his version of the effect and showed
us how to construct a set. He explained that he had
discovered it through a puzzle community in Japan and
hoped we would make a set ourselves, and enjoy performing
it. By the end of the day I had acquired a set from a dealer
stand (thanks Dave and Andy) and was trying different
presentations. Within a week it had become my favourite
magic effect and my go to item when asked to ‘show us
something’.
The set I bought was created by Andy Hurst of The

Magic Cavern. Andy had also met Tonny and experienced
his demonstration. Andy is an excellent craftsman and he
produced the first blocks made available to the magic
community, and it’s Andy we have to thank for coming up
with the perfect name ‘The Baffling Blocks’. He also told
me the following story he heard about how this effect was
first spotted.
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The Magicians Guide To The Baffling Blocks
“An engineer was moving three boxes of metal files

from a shelf and lifted all three down together. When he then
moved the top one it felt heavier than all three. Seeing this as
odd he checked the bottom two boxes and found they were
empty!”
In 2018 I released the original copy of this book at the

Blackpool Magic Convention and whilst grinding the effect
on the Magick Enterprises Stand, Alan Wong came over
from his stand and we got talking about the blocks. He had
been looking at creating a version of the effect since also
meeting Tonny and I gave him a copy of my book to read.
Alan’s feedback on the book was excellent and he said he
would be in touch on a possible collaboration
Fast forward to 2020 and Alan contacted me to say he

had created a set of blocks he was happy to release and
would I join him in releasing my book with the blocks. I
immediately agreed and am very pleased and proud to
collaborate with Alan on this release.
Over the past eight years I have performed this effect in

many settings and with several presentations. Included in this
book are the main variations I use.
I have also included the transcript of a conversation

about the Blocks I had while writing this book to give you
more insight into my thinking, and a short essay of my
thoughts on reframing in magic
Throughout the book you will see ‘example scripts’. I

call these ‘example scripts’ as I come from a storytelling
tradition of performance, where I do not work from a full and
detailed script. I have set points and moves I make during all
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my performances and fill the gaps in between with ‘patter’

that is appropriate at the time. Meaning my performances are
never the same twice and I can quickly react to things that
happen during the performance.
This has made writing the scripted part of the book

more of a challenge than I initially thought it would be.
Many of the scripts are direct transcripts made from live
performances. This means the scripts are very much
examples of what I say and do in the performance
environment. I hope you will try this approach when you do
your own performances. Take the effect, my ideas and these
examples as starting points and create your own scripts and
performances. Make the effect your own and unique to
yourself.
I am yet to find an effect that causes so much wonder

and surprise in an audience. I believe our role as magical
performers is to spread wonder and allow our audiences to
experience impossible things. This is an effect that given the
right approach from the performer, generates amazing and
wonder filled reactions. It can also be reduced to a mere
puzzle if presented with the wrong attitude.
If you follow the instructions in this book and practice

your routines, you will be able to create wonder and
amazement in your audiences as well as recoup the cost of
this effect within a very short time.
I hope you have as much fun with these versatile and

unassuming Blocks as I have done.
Ashton Carter, 2020.
3
Image 1: The author demonstrating the Baffling Blocks at the

Doomsday Convention, May 2017.
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What Are The Baffling Blocks?

The Baffling Blocks is a mini illusion where the participant
experiences something that is absolutely impossible.
Three identical looking blocks are displayed and

stacked one on top of the other.
The performer demonstrates to the participant that they

should lift all three blocks together, put them down, and then
lift only the top one.
The participant repeats the procedure and finds the

single top block apparently weights more than the three
blocks together.
I will repeat that because it sounds ridiculous.
The top block apparently weighs more than all three

blocks together!
5
How does it work?

The Appendix investigates the possible reasons why we
experience this incredible effect as it deserves a full chapter
on its own. But for now, I will restrict these words to say we
don’t really understand exactly why we experience the effect.
There are a number of hypothesis but experiments keep

challenging these and forcing researchers to re-evaluate. Our
brains and bodies are amazing things and we are currently at
the early stages of unlocking their secrets.
Setting up the Blocks

To perform the Baffling Blocks you simply place the heavier
block on top of the stack of three blocks.
It really does feel like the third block (the top block)
weighs more than all three combined. What is even more
amazing is you will continue to experience the illusion even
when you know what to expect. I have been doing the effect
for over eight years and I still experience the effect whenever
I perform it.
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Cleaning the Blocks

If 2020 has taught us anything it is the importance of keeping
your props clean. The blocks are very easy to keep clean as
they are plain metal and can be wiped down with a general
purpose kitchen surface cleaner designed for food
preparation areas.
You can also wipe them with antibacterial/antiviral

wipes or with hand sanitiser. In addition you should ask your
participants to sanitise their hands with hand sanitiser before
they hold the blocks.
In this way you can keep everyone as safe as possible.
7
Performance Variations
The next few chapters give you a selection of my favourite
performance variations. Please read them all, even if you
don’t perform in those specific conditions or styles of shows.
I use the different performances to discuss some of the
different uses of the Blocks along with tips about making the
Blocks more memorable and how you can change the
performance to suit the environment.
Within these variations are versions suitable for many

different audiences. I see a lot of magic that is being
performed using a script the magician has developed (or
more commonly taken word for word from the DVD they
bought) and sticks to irrespective of the audience or venue.
Personally, I think we should be varying our presentations
for each audience and location. The Blocks are a great tool to
explore and become confident in tweaking your
presentations to fit the location. There are no sleights or
complicated misdirection to worry about and the effect is
interesting on its own. But, with a little creativity we can
make the effect really strong.
Each variation has a small introduction to explain the

setting and framing for the performance and an example
script showing how I typically perform. Text inside <angled
brackets> are actions, although I am sure through reading the
scripts you will soon pick up on the actions.
How ever and where ever you perform, I am sure you

will find a version of the Blocks suitable for you within the
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following pages, and I hope you will also find a new and
different way of presenting this unique effect to make it your
own. If you do, please let me know, I would love to hear
about what you come up with.
Image 2: The author demonstrating the Baffling Blocks at a

Halloween event, November 2017
9
Bar or Coffee Shop

In the introduction I said you would be able to recoup the
cost of this book in a very short space of time. Even if you
don’t perform for money, I am sure you will find yourself in
a pub, bar or coffee shop with friends and can use the
Baffling Blocks to gain a drink or two.
Many people are aware of bar scams and seemingly

impossible challenges as a way to obtain a drink. These often
use clever applications of physics and can be fun, but you
risk making people feel a little cheated or foolish when they
fail at the challenge, and you smugly show them how simple
the solution is, whilst drinking the beer you have won off
them.
The joy of the Baffling Blocks is that no one feels like

they have been conned or can take offence, as you give them
a real moment of wonder and in return you agreed ahead of
time on the price (a drink, sandwich, first born child or other
such item) if they experience something wonderful or
impossible.
You will find people’s reactions vary widely, but in

most cases they will be unable to hide their surprise and
wonder, which makes it really hard to pretend they didn’t
experience anything. Especially when other people are
watching. The wording of the deal also covers the bolder
amongst you. In the rare case of someone not experiencing
the effect they will invariably show confusion or bafflement
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in their face and you can claim this as a reaction… as I said it

may be only for the bolder of you.
Example Script
Performer: Whose turn is it to buy the drinks? Whose
round?1
Friend: I think it's yours.
Performer: Okay, let's try this, if I can make you feel

something that is absolutely impossible, would you pay for
my round?
Friend: Impossible?
Performer: Absolutely impossible, yes?
Friend: Yes.
Performer: Okay, now, I've got these three blocks. A simple

set of blocks. All I'm going to do is ask you to pick up all
three blocks <demonstrates the process>, and then just the
top one <demonstrates>. When you lift that top one, you will
feel something that is impossible. You will feel it, okay.
Friend: We'll see.
1
In the UK ‘buying a round’ is a traditional way of drinking with
friends where each person takes a turn to buy everyone a drink (a round
of drinks).
11
Performer: If you do feel it, and I am sure you will feel

something strange, something weird, drinks are on you. It's
not going to shock you, it's not going to electrocute you.
There's no jiggery-pokery. So all three, then just the top one
<demonstrate again>, and if you get as much as a glimmer
on your face or a raised eyebrow, it’s drinks on you?
Friend: OK, you’re on
<Friend experiences the blocks>
Performer: How weird and impossible is that. Isn’t it

amazing? I’ll have a <insert your favourite
drink/sandwich/type of car>. Now, don't tell anyone else, if
they want to find out what you just experienced what's it
going to cost them?
Friend: A drink.
Performer: For both of us?
Friend: Excellent.
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Pseudo Hypnosis
The effect of the blocks is very unexpected and wonderful.
It’s a perfect way to fake hypnosis or as a precursor to your
actual hypnosis show as a way to demonstrate your powers
of hypnosis during the induction phase.
In this variation you will use pseudo hypnosis to

momentarily remove someone’s strength. A classic effect in
hypnosis.
Please be careful, this variation looks like real hypnosis

and you need to be aware of your local performing
regulations and license requirements. Some venues/locations
require special licenses or insurances for hypnosis or effects
that could be seen by the audience as hypnosis. Don’t fall
foul of the law for the sake of an effect.
Example Script
Performer: Have you ever been hypnotised before?
Volunteer: No.
Performer: Would you like to try a simple demonstration?
Volunteer: Yes.
Performer: Okay. What we are going to do is demonstrate

how easy it is for someone to give you a hypnotic suggestion
13
that you will interpret, and it will become your truth until we
remove it. It is perfectly safe. What I need you to do is pick
up all three of these blocks. Just feel the weight, feel how
heavy they are and then put them down. Happy?
Volunteer: Yes.
<Volunteer picks up all three stacked blocks.>
Performer: Okay, that's good. Now, look into my eyes and

listen to my voice. I just want you to gently concentrate on
what I'm saying. Please close your eyes and listen. As I count
down from five to one you will lose the strength in your
arms, five, you are losing your strength, four, I'm sapping
your strength, three, I'm taking all of your strength from your
arms, your arms are getting weaker, one, everything about
you is the same, except that your arms will not be as strong
as they were. When I click my fingers you'll open your eyes,
and pick up just the top block.
<Performer clicks their fingers and the Volunteer picks

up the top block and experiences the effect.>
Performer: Please put it down… close your eyes… and

listen. As you listen to my voice you feel all your strength
flooding back. As I count from five to one your strength will
flow back into you, five, you are feeling stronger, four, your
muscles are growing in strength, three, stronger still, two,
strength returning, one, you are as strong as you were when
we started. Everything is back to normal, back as it should
be. Everything is back to normal.
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Ashton Carter
The Street Show

I love performing the Baffling Blocks as a street show or in a
festival setting. In the words of the old magic adverts it
certainly ‘packs small and plays big’. You should be able
recoup the cost of this book in less than an hour of
performing in a busking setting (depending on your ability to
get people to put money in your hat!).
This isn’t the book to teach you the noble craft of street
performance, so I have included a couple of references to
resources at the end of the script that I have found useful, if
you are interested in learning more.
The steps I use for this performance are:
1. Attract the first participants.
2. Build the crowd whilst giving the instructions.
4. Get a ‘brave’ person to give it a go.
5. Include as many people as I can.
6. Repeat.
The key is keeping your energy up and having fun with

the crowd. If people walk past and see people having fun
they are more likely to stop and see what is going on. The
Blocks are a curious set of objects and people will be keen to
see what is happening. The instructions also include a
15
specific call to put money in your hat if they experience the

effect.
For me the most important part of this style of

performance is to be a bigger, brighter and friendlier version
of yourself. You need to get people to trust you and give up
some of their time to join you. In most cases, nobody who
stops was intending on being your audience that day so you
have to work hard to give them a reason to stop and watch.
To do this you need to create your own script for

working the street variation. I have included mine below to
show you how I go about it.
Please take the structure and ideas and write your own
script that suits your style and look. That way you will come
across as open, honest and trustworthy and people will
engage with you.
Always remember that the Baffling Blocks are not a

puzzle or challenge, to be presented in that horribly smug
way some magicians perform magic, but a wonderful
experience you want to share with people.
Example Script
Performer: Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, roll up,
come and experience the world’s shortest and quietest street
show here at (insert location). Ladies and gentlemen, The
Baffling Blocks are one of the strangest experiences you'll
have today. I almost guarantee it, only almost as I have no
idea what you are going to do tonight. Come and have a go
and experience the Baffling Blocks.
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There are only two instructions and one slightly rude

joke and away we go. All you are going to do in a moment,
is pick up all three of these blocks and then pick up the top
one <demonstrate method>, that’s it.
Nothing daft is going to happen. They are not going to

give you an electric shock. They are not going to spray you
with water, nothing like that, but it is going to give you a
wonderful experience. I really want to share it with you.
There are two rules I need you to follow.
First rule of the Baffling Blocks. You can't tell anyone

what you experience. If you do, you could ruin it for them.
I want everyone here to experience the blocks. Pick up

all three and then just the top one <demonstrate method>.
Second rule of the Baffling Blocks, you may wish to

verbalise your experience. That means make a noise. You
might want to go, ‘Ooooo, ahh or mmm.’ You sir, you'll
probably go ‘Hmmmm’. If you want to verbalise, please do.
It really helps build the crowd, gives us all a giggle and
shows that something is happening. It shows that you are
feeling the very strange and wonderful experience that is the
Baffling Blocks.
We haven't got any kids here have we? Excellent.

Yesterday I had a lady try the blocks and she let out an
orgasmic squeal. It was really awkward, her husband was
with her, and he’d never heard the sound before. It’s always
the way isn't it ladies?
17
All three, just the top one <demonstrate method>.

Remember the first rule, don't tell anyone. Second rule, you
may wish to verbalise.
Now, of course, if you are one of our younger guests,

your hands may not be able to go over the blocks. If you've
got little hands and some of us do have little hands, then you
could do it with both hands, like this <demonstrate two-
handed method> it works just the same.
Today I am here performing on the street. No one's

paid me to be here and sharing this amazing experience is
how I pay my bills. All I ask, is if you do get an odd
experience or you feel something strange and impossible,
surely that's worth a little donation into my hat, perhaps a
gold coin? If you do that I will be able to eat tonight and
continue to share this wonderful experience with the
wonderful people of (insert location).
So who is brave enough to be the first?
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Image 3: The Author grinding the Baffling Blocks for an

attentive dog and owner (a brilliant young ventriloquist!) as
part of the Edinburgh Fringe Street Events, August 2017,
note the pouring rain, the show must go on!
References
WARDELL, PETER (2005). ‘Crowdpuller’. DVD.
RSVP Magic
MORRIS, MARIO & VERONICA (2018). ‘School of

Busking’ ‘https://www.schoolofbusking.com/’ last accessed
17/12/2020
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Our Senses Fool Us

This variation came from a chance meeting whilst
performing on the streets. A participant had just experienced
the Blocks and had hung back as the rest of the crowd had
their turn. When the crowd had dispersed and I was about to
begin to build the crowd again he asked if he could try again.
It turned out he was a research scientist and was very

interested in the potential ramifications of the effect. I am a
scientist by training and greatly enjoyed his conversation. In
the end he invited me to join him on his table at a conference
he was attending to perform the Blocks and raise the ideas
we had discussed. Sadly I was unable to join him due to
stage managing a show that afternoon. But I really liked the
ideas raised about how our senses fool us, so came up with
this presentation.
Example Script
Performer: It’s a common simplification to say we have five
senses. In fact we have many other senses in addition to the
main five, such as temperature, pressure and perhaps most
important to the experiment we are going to try,
Proprioception, the sense of the position of one’s own body
and the strength of effort being employed by movements.
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I want to show you how our senses can fool us. Our
experiment uses these three blocks. There are no hidden
gadgets or external influences on them. Just three simple
blocks. All you have to do is lift the three blocks together,
put them down and then just lift the top block.
When we conduct experiments we need to ensure both

our experiment and the observers are as free of bias as we
can be. We need to be as objective as we can be to ensure we
do not influence the results. This experiment will make you
question your own senses and poses the question, how
objective can we be?
It is a very simple experiment, just do what I do, lift all

three blocks and then just the top one.
<Performer demonstrates the blocks>
I need you to pay very careful attention to the

experiment so you can pick up on any results no matter how
subtle.
<Participant tries the blocks>
So I pose the questions. How can we make our

experiments rigorous enough to ensure the senses of our own
bodies don’t influence our results? How many possible
discoveries have been overlooked because our own senses
fooled us?
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Séance and Bizarre Magic

The blocks make a wonderful addition to your bizarre magic
or séance work. The effect is very strong on its own, but
combined with the atmosphere generated with a good séance
or bizarre magic routine the effect can be transformed into a
powerful piece of spirit theatre.
This type of performance relies on the performer

creating a serious atmosphere within which the spirits can
make their presence felt. Séance and Bizarre Magic is my
favourite style of magic and I am constantly amazed at how
the simplest of effects can produce profound responses in our
audiences.
You will see the example script is much more serious

in tone than the others in this book. It has a much more ritual
feel. I rarely perform this particular effect on its own, but as
part of my full séance performances. If I am asked to do
something similar outside of the séance room I will use the
‘Proof of Faeries’ variation you will find later in the book.
Some mysteries should be held back until the right

performance atmosphere is created. However, I am sure you
will develop many versions of the Baffling Blocks so will
always have a presentation suitable for any eventuality.
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Example Script
Host: Many people believe that when you die your soul
leaves your body. In 1907, Dr. Duncan MacDougall of
Haverhill, Massachusetts, tried to measure the weight of a
person’s soul at the moment of death, in an attempt to prove
its existence. His results were inconclusive but may have
created the urban myth that the soul weighs 21 grams. Even
with our modern and increasingly accurate measuring
devices it is very difficult to weigh the body of a person at
the point the soul departs.
If this hypothesis is correct and as is popularly

believed, a ghost or spirit comprises of the soul of a person,
then it follows that that the spirit should have some weight. If
the spirits are willing tonight we can try an experiment to test
the hypothesis. The idea being that many scientists say, ‘If
you can't measure it, then you can't prove its existence’. So if
we can feel the weight of a spirit that puts us quite close to
being able to say there is something existing that I cannot
see. Which may well be a spirit. Particularly if it appears
when we ask it to appear, and disappears when we ask it to
disappear.
So, in a moment, I’m going to invite a spirit to sit on

this small pile of blocks. What I would like you to do is pick
up all three of these blocks. Feel the weight, this is very
important. I will then ask the spirit to sit on the top most
block. I would like you to pick up just the top block with the
spirit sitting on it and tell me what you sense. If the
hypothesis is correct you will be able to feel the weight of
the spirit.
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To recap, you will pick up all three blocks, feel their

weight and then put them down.. I will summon the spirits
and ask them to sit on the top of the blocks. You'll pick up
the top block and carefully put it down and I will command
the spirit to leave. Are you happy?
Participant: Yes.
Host: Then we will begin. Please lift all three blocks feel
their weight and put them down.
<Addressing the room> Spirits of the room, Spirits of

the room that came when we asked. I ask again for your aid,
please sit on this pile of blocks. Spirits in the room, I know
there are at least three of you. Please sit upon this top most
block so that we may sense you… thank you. <Addressing
the participant> Just the top block. Do you feel it?
Participant: I really feel something.
Host: What can you feel?
Participant: The block is heavier than it should be, much

heavier!
Host: Thank you, please return the block to the pile. Well
done. Thank you spirits, you are free. You are free to leave
the block and free to leave this room. Your help is much
appreciated, we thank you.
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Ashton Carter
Quantum Mechanics
Quantum Mechanics is concerned with describing how the
world works at the very small scale. It describes how the
constituent parts of atoms and fundamental particles move
and interact with each other. I studied quantum mechanics at
University and found it a real challenge.
At the quantum level strange things happen. In the first

lecture we had on the subject, we were told ‘to understand
quantum mechanics’ we would need to ignore what our
common sense tells us about how the world works.
Light behaves as both waves and particles, particles

appear and disappear and tunnel through barriers that should
constrain them. We cannot know where something is and
what it is doing at any one moment in time, observing
something seems to change how it behaves, cats are both
alive and dead at the same time.
It’s a fascinating and strange world that is happening

all around us and we are not aware of it. It is one of the most
magical things I have ever studied. I wanted a variation for
the blocks that could be explained through a pseudo quantum
mechanics explanation.
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Example Script
Performer: I am sure you have heard about Quantum
Mechanics? It is the branch of Physics concerned with
describing how the world works at the very small scale. It
describes how the constituent parts of atoms and
fundamental particles move and interact with each other.
At the quantum level, strange and mysterious things

happen. Light behaves as both waves and particles, particles
appear and disappear and tunnel through barriers that should
constrain them. We cannot know where something is and
what it is doing at any one moment in time, observing
something seems to change how it behaves. I am sure many
of you have heard about Schrödinger's cat being both alive
and dead at the same time.
When I studied Quantum Mechanics at University I

was fascinated by what would happen to the world if
Quantum Effects happened at our scale? I found a book
called ‘Mr Tompkins in Wonderland’ by George Gamow
published in 1939 that imagined such a world. I can tell you,
it would be a crazy place to live.
Let me demonstrate with these three blocks one of the

things that could happen. Please pick up all three of these
blocks and feel their weight. To a scientist weight is the mass
of the object multiplied by the gravitational force acting on
it. Please put the blocks down. In the small distance we can
lift the blocks the effect of gravity will not really change, so
if we want to change the weight of the blocks we need to
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change the mass of the blocks. Please pick them all up again
and feel their weight.
One concept in Quantum Mechanics talks about the

probability of things happening. In its simplest form it
suggests that all things are possible, but most of them are
very unlikely to happen. The infinite monkeys typing the
entire works of Shakespeare is a well-known example. Given
enough time it is possible for this to happen, but very highly
improbable. At the quantum level the probability of
something happening increases. There is a constant called
the Planck constant that puts a limit on the scale of quantum
effects. It is very small... it is 6.6 x 10-34, that is small!
But what if we could make Planck’s constant bigger?

Then quantum effects could happen at our scale. For a
moment lets imagine that this torch with a green filter is a
science fiction ray gun that can change the Planck constant.
<Performer takes a small torch with a green filter and

gives it to a spectator>.
Performer: Please shine the ray gun onto the blocks and
increase Planck’s constant for a moment.
<Participant shines the light onto the blocks>.
Performer: Excellent, now that we have changed the

constant, quantum effects can happen at our scale. So there is
a much greater chance of all the atoms in the blocks will
quantum tunnel upwards and into the top block. The mass of
an object is made up of its atoms, so if all the atoms of the
three blocks are in the top block it should weight the same as
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the three altogether. Give it a try, just pick up the top block
and feel its weight.
<Participant picks up the top block>.
Performer: Sometimes atoms from the table may also have

received a bit of the ray guns powers so it may feel a little
heavier than the blocks.
The effect doesn’t last long and no fundamental

particles have been permanently effected. As Homer
Simpson famously once said ‘In this house we obey the laws
of thermodynamics’.
I for one am very glad we don’t live in a world where

quantum effects can happen on our scale, it would be so
weird! But you should go and find out about quantum
mechanics it’s a fascinating subject.
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A Couple In Love
There are many effects within magic that are ideal for
couples, where they get to share the magic moment. The
Baffling Blocks are no exception as the effect can be
operated as a two-person effect.
Magic should be entertaining, but it can also be used to

spread some positive messages and make people feel good
about themselves and the ones they love. I make no apology
for this variation being twee and slushy.
Example Script
Performer: Hi, are you two together? How long if you don’t
mind me asking? I’ve been with my partner for over 10
years. It’s inevitable over that time you go through good
times and hard times. For better for worse as they say.
Let me show you a wonderful illustration of how we

are stronger together. These blocks represent our troubles
and how they can weigh us down. Try lifting the three blocks
together, one hand each, just grip them from the bottom and
lift together. Can you feel how heavy these troubles are?
Please put them down.
<Couple lift all three blocks>.
Life has a habit of throwing up problems at the most

annoying time, like that bag for life that breaks when it is full
of shopping on a rainy day! When this happens we can
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sometimes overreact and individual troubles can seem like

much heavier burdens than they actually are. To demonstrate
this try lifting up just a single trouble, just the top block, but
this time tackle the trouble on your own.
<Couple lift the top block in turn, they should both feel
the block is heavier than all three blocks together>.
See how that one trouble weighs on your mind more

than all the others together?
These are the times it is important for you to trust and

help each other. When we support each other we can put that
trouble into perspective and begin to resolve it.
Try picking up all three blocks again but share the

burden like the first time, and you should notice how much
easier troubles are to bear when we have each other.
<Couple lift all three blocks and should both feel all the
blocks together are lighter than the top block>.
Always remember we are stronger together.
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Proof of Faeries
Whilst not a traditional children's entertainer I am happy to
perform for our younger audiences. But I make a point of not
dumbing down my presentations. Children are much more
sophisticated than we give them credit for and I have had a
number of children enjoy my séances and bizarre magic.
My personal viewpoint is that each child is unique and

they all have different levels of maturity. As long as they are
polite, well behaved and they are with a responsible adult
who has had the nature of the show explained to them before
we start, I am happy to have them along for the ride.
These experiences lead me to think about how I could

reframe my séance work to make it more child friendly. I
have found that all of my séance work can be easily reframed
into alternative presentations that use faeries, goblins and
other magical creatures as the central theme. Instead of
summoning up the spirits of the dead we can bring forth the
delightful and mischievous creatures from our own local
folklore and traditions. By doing this I get to use these
powerful presentations and make them appropriate for
younger audiences.
This variation shows how we can prove the existence

of these creatures using the Blocks.
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Example Script
Performer: Before books were common place, the way we
gained and shared knowledge was through oral traditions.
Stories and songs that shared wisdom and warnings. All
civilisations begin with an oral tradition. These are often
scary and violent stories to educate, scare and to instil morals
and common sense in the younger generations.
Within these huge collections of stories are many

common themes. One of those, particularly in Western
Europe, is known as the faerie folk. The little people who
come in all manner of sizes and sorts and shapes. Often
malevolent like Boggarts, keen on playing tricks but
sometimes helpful such as the Shoemaker’s Elves.
In 1918, two girls in a northern town took photos of

faeries. Some say they were real and were convinced they
were genuine pictures. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was a great
advocate. Some say they were obviously fake, pointing out
the two-dimensional look of the fairy folk. In all cases such
as this, what remains is the burden of proof. Proof requires
evidence. Evidence is really hard to get to prove the
existence of the faerie folk.
I like evidence and particularly the scientific method,

one of its key tenants is that experiments and phenomena
should be repeatable. I have been working on an experiment
to provide evidence for the faerie folk and I would like us to
try it.
Where we are is quite close to a faerie ring. A mythical

place where the faeries dwell and they do dwell well. I think
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we can entice one or two of them to us. Let's see if they'll

play.
<Addressing the room/forest glade> I call the faerie

folk that dwell within and around this place to come and
play. Are there any faerie folk here? I have such a fun game
we can play… When I ask… I want you to leap carefully on
to the top block of my three blocks and sit there until I ask
you to leave…
<Addressing the participant> what I would like you to

do is feel the weight of the three blocks. I will then ask a
faerie or two, if there are more around, to sit upon the block
while you lift just the topmost block. Though you may not be
able to see them, you might be able to feel their presence.
Pick up all three, we'll call the faeries on to the block and
then pick up the top block. When you put it down, please be
gentle because whilst they are small, they are hard to hurt,
but they really don't like it. Never cross a faerie! If it offers
you something, don't take it, don't eat anything, and don’t
drink anything.
So, lift all three, put them down, I will ask the faeries to
jump on top, then pick up just the top one. OK? Ready? Pick
up all three… put them down…
<Addressing the room/forest glade> to the faeries here

present come and play with my friend, please sit up on the
top block. Leap up and sit on the block. we will not harm
you.
<Addressing the participant> Lift just the top block…

Can you feel the faeries?
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Participant: Yes!
Performer: Lay it down, thank you. Thank you faeries our

game has ended, please jump off the block and Leave. Leave.
I'm sure you'll agree that's undeniable proof of the

faerie folk
Image 4: The Author in wizarding costume proving the

existence of faeries as part of a stage show, November
2017
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Alien Technology Contributed

by John Martin
I am grateful to John Martin for his excellent contribution to
this book which comes direct from his professional working
act. I have known John for many years, we share many
interests including Bizarre Magic, curious objects and a love
of horror films.
I still remember the joy on his face when I introduced

him to the Blocks for the first time. He contacted me a
couple of days later to say he had made a set of Blocks for
himself and was looking forward to using them in his
professional shows.
He had a gig lined up for an engineering company and

wrote a presentation for the Blocks using the theme of aliens
and Area 51, which went down very well with his
mechanically minded audience. John has kindly shared this
presentation as a contribution to the book.
What I really like about John’s variation is the way he

uses it to get the participants thinking about how the world
works. He gets them to experience the Blocks and then lets
them explore the workings. They find out the secret to how
the Blocks are set up, but this just adds to the wonder as he
gets them to think about the physical world and how 1 + 1 +
1 = 3 (but not in this case!).
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Example Script
If I said to you; Area 51’ what would that mean to
you?... ALIENS!? Excellent! I like the way you think… Not
US Airforce… Not secret Military testing area…No! Straight
with the Aliens! I like that.
That means you have an open mind...Historical fact;

Roswell, New Mexico, 8th July 1947, Major Jesse Marcell
gave a statement ‘RAAF Captures Flying Saucer On Ranch
in Roswell Region’! What? Here was proof, of Extra-
Terrestrial life visiting earth…
Official proof… Until the next day!
Major Jesse Marcell was ‘made’ to retract the details of

a Flying Saucer.
The story changed and this very experienced US

Airforce Major, said ‘I made a mistake identifying the
debris… It’s actually not an exotic craft. It was the remains
of weather-balloon. Made of ‘Balsa-Wood’ and a tin-foil
reflector!
Personally, I don’t believe the 2nd story… He was

TOLD to say it was a weather balloon. Even today; On the
Nevada highway, near Roswell, there is a Diner’ called the
‘Little Alien’. Inside that Diner, there is a gift shop, that sells
UFO ‘tat’ to people like me…
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These three boxes came from that Diner.
There were tiny white stickers on these two ‘Contains

packing material’… Innocent enough...This one though, had
a sticker which read ‘Material of an unknown origin!’
I thought that sounds like a sales-pitch, so I ‘HAD’ to

buy them! The boxes are sealed-shut. I’ve never opened
them… I have no idea at all what’s inside.
Now then, are you prepared to experience ‘High-

Strangeness’? Not Low or Medium Strangeness… HIGH
STRANGENESS!?
I promise this is a ‘delightfully’ strange experience.

There are no nasty surprises. Nothing unpleasant will
happen. This is not a ‘gag’…
All you have to do to experience ‘High Strangeness’ is;

Pick-up all three boxes at the same time. Like this! Just to
get a ‘physicality’ of them in space… Don’t ‘weigh them’ in
your mind and try put a value on them… Just feel their
weight…
Ok. Put them down...
Now do it again, pick them-up to place them firmly in

your own reality…All right, now just pick-up the top box,
all-by-itself!
WHAT IS GOING ON?
Now then; the laws of the Universe dictate; one plus

one plus one equals THREE, YES? Very good!
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Remove TWO objects and the ‘One remaining’

SHOULD BE LIGHTER…
As ‘Scotty’ was famous for saying; ‘You cannae’

change the Laws of Physics!’
<Invite them to repeat (Usually they ask first!), Now at

this point, some people enjoy examining the boxes a little
more closely. They will discover ‘But two are lighter…’
They may try to argue, add logic or threaten violence>.
True, I say…BUT, no matter these two are lighter, they

‘Still’ contribute to the overall equation, the mass, the
weight, yes?
SO, you remove TWO objects, the one ‘Remaining’

should be lighter. The Laws of the Universe dictate that,
yes!’
But that’s not the case here…
Mmmmmm!?’
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The Fortune Blocks Contributed

by Russell J. Hall
I have known Russell for many years as both personal friend
and ‘My friendly local magic dealer’ (they do exist). Russell
is the proprietor of Magick Enterprises in Sheffield, which at
the time of going to print is celebrating its 40 th year selling
to, and supporting magicians around the world.
Without his support (and June’s) the local magic

community would not be as vibrant and enthusiastic as it is.
Russell helped nurture my early magic career as he has done
for countless magicians and is an amazing fount of
knowledge of magical history, techniques and theory. If you
are ever in Sheffield you must stop by the shop and wonder
at its delights (and buy something, such as a set of Baffling
Blocks!).
I feel honoured that Russell has written the following

presentation for the Blocks to be included in the book. He
suggests using them as an amazing focus for a personal
reading. I have used this presentation in place of my usual
Tarot and found it intriguing and powerful. As with all types
of reading care must be taken to be responsible and Russell’s
advice in this area should be heeded. As many famous
figures both real and fictional have stated ‘With great power
comes great responsibility’
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Example Script
‘There are many ways of telling fortunes... with Tarot
or playing cards, by reading palms or the entrails of animals,
by casting runes or bones or yarrow stalks, by the flight of
birds or the movement of the stars or planets.
‘Some methods are seemingly simple, others are

dauntingly complex. What they all have in common,
according to their various practitioners, is the need for a high
level of faith in those seeking answers about their life and
their future.
‘Recently I came across a method which combines

simplicity with something extra that could be seen as a
physical manifestation of its mysterious power. Let me tell
you a little about Fictilomancy. Or, if you prefer, The
Fortune-Telling Blocks.
‘Instead of having to deal with a large variety of cards

or symbols, or sacrificing a goat, I use just three small bricks
or blocks.’ Open the box, take out the three blocks and place
them in a row on the table. It doesn’t really matter what
order, but I normally place the heavy block to my right.
‘Why only three blocks? Well, if you think about it the

answers to most choices we make in life may be defined in
three ways: Yes, No or Maybe. Or if we’re looking at aspects
of our lives which are of particular concern at this moment,
then these too can be divided into three: Emotional, Logical
or Material. We’ll discuss these aspects in a little more detail
as we proceed.’
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At this point you turn to a spectator who seems

interested and involved. If you don’t see one I suggest you
consider an alternative career. For the sake of this
explanation we’ll assume that there is a comely person
watching you attentively with a certain sparkle in her eyes,
and preferably an adaptable demeanour, who is hanging on
your every word.
You address her in your best non-threatening manner,

‘Perhaps you’d like to help me?’ Get her to stand at your
side. ‘Thank you.’ If you wish, or find it necessary, you
could continue by reassuring her, ‘Don’t worry, we’re just
going to do a short, positive reading together. I promise I
won’t reveal any deep or dark secrets... although I have to
say that I’m obliged by law to report involvement in any
major crimes.’
Keep things light. This is a fun, entertaining reading.

The ‘major crimes’ line, incidentally, was suggested in a
book on readings I came across some time ago. I’ve been
unable to trace the originator. But thank you, whoever you
are. I’ve used it, when appropriate, for many years when
doing walk-round short readings for university balls and
business conferences.
‘First we need to assign each block to one of the three

primary aspects of a harmonious life.’ You remove from the
box a strip of self-adhesive stickers. ‘This will represent your
emotional life — matters relating to love, family,
relationships.’ Draw a simple heart shape on the sticker.
‘This sticker will represent matters of logic — things to

do with thinking, communication, creativity, education —
‘head matters’.’ Draw a stylised face on the second sticker.
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‘And finally, the material aspects of life — to do with

practicalities such as career, money and health.’ I use a
drawing of a house to represent the practical. See Figure 1.
Figure 1. Example Shapes

Address the assisting spectator. ‘Now I need you to
make some decisions.’ Peel off the first sticker. ‘Would you
like me to place this sticker on the left-hand block, the right-
hand block, or the centre block?’ Stick it where she tells you.
Repeat this with each sticker until each block has been
labelled. Take a beat to look over the blocks. ‘Interesting...
but we mustn’t make any assumptions yet.’
Turn the blocks over, sticker side down, and mix them
at random. It’s a simple matter to keep track of the heavy
block. I leave this to my right after the mixing, pick it up first
by the sides between right-hand thumb and fingers, place it
on top of the block next to it, then place both blocks together
on the remaining block. It doesn’t really matter how you do
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it; you just need to make sure that the heavier block is on top
with the two lighter blocks beneath.
Align the three blocks neatly and push them over

towards the assisting spectator. ‘Three blocks... representing
the three major areas of everyone’s life.’ Get the spectator to
pick them up together in the usual Baffling Blocks manner.
Have her replace them on the table. ‘That was easy, wasn’t
it...? When all aspects of our life are together, balanced, in
harmony, we feel good, our head is clear and our heart is
light. Pick them up again... hold that feeling for a moment.’
Get her to replace the stack of blocks.
‘Of course, perfect harmony is not too common. At any

time there are probably certain aspects of our life which are
weighing heavily upon us — taking greater significance than
all the other aspects together. Have you had that feeling?’
Turn to your spectator. ‘Lift all three blocks for me once
more... replace them and now lift the top block on its own...
Do you feel anything strange? Lift all three blocks again,
now the top block alone. Do you sense that the top block
somehow has more significance than all three blocks
together? A weird feeling isn’t it?’
‘Let’s have a closer look at the three blocks.’ Separate

the blocks and turn them over in a row on the table, pushing
the original upper (heavy) block away from the other two as
you continue, ‘This is the block that seems most significant
for you... the aspect of your life that may be weighing a little
heavier at the moment...’
OK, dear reader, now you’re rather on your own. You

have one ‘significant’ block showing one of the three
stickers: Emotional, Logical or Material. This is your lead-in
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for a little cold reading. Keep it positive, cover all three life
aspects, but talk about the ‘significant block’ in somewhat
greater depth.
If you’ve any experience of cold reading then this

won’t be difficult for you. If this is new to you, then I
recommend seeking out and reading one or two of the books
I’ve listed below.
Your intention is to offer a short, entertaining reading;

you don’t have to be an expert to do that, although a grasp of
the basic principles is invaluable. All you really require to be
a good reader is a little common sense and some
understanding of what makes people tick — abilities that
every magician should have anyway. But here are a few
pointers to start you off:
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1. First and always, be positive. Tell the spectator what

he or she wants to hear.
2. Watch the spectator’s reactions (and those of her

friends around her when working to a group). Develop your
reading accordingly.
3. Use images and generalities. Your spectator will take

them and make them fit.
4. Make statements as questions, and again watch for

reactions.
5. Ask for confirmation of general statements or when

you recognise you’re getting a hit.
6. Use a disclaimer. I always say something along the

lines, ‘I hope that this has been interesting and useful to you,
but always remember that our future is not in the stars or the
cards, or even what these three little blocks may tell us. We
each of us have the potential to shape our own destinies.’
Here’s a brief sample reading. Let’s assume that the

‘significant’ block shows the head sticker.
‘Ah, the head sticker. This relates to matters of logic,

communication, creativity... Are you a logical person?’
We’ll assume she says, Yes, with a little doubt as most
people will show whichever way they answer. ‘Hmm, are
you certain? I think there are times when your heart (indicate
the ‘heart block’) rules your head. Which can be a good
thing; matters of emotion should be dealt with by our
emotional sense.’
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‘But perhaps there is some situation now which is

causing a little conflict between the emotional and practical
sides of yourself... I think in the past you haven’t always
been certain that you’ve made the right decision about
matters that were important to you?’
‘You may have self-doubts, but I feel that sometimes

you’re over critical of yourself. You have a great deal of
unused ability... Yes, you must use your logic and think
critically and creatively about a matter which concerns you.
Do you understand what I mean here? But also, don’t be
afraid to trust your instincts.’
Clearly you can develop and expand the reading as you

wish from here, before closing along these lines:
‘Thank you for joining me. I hope that’s been

enjoyable and perhaps even a little helpful. I believe that any
reading can sometimes indicate possibilities or paths, but it is
up to each individual to make their own journey.’ Lead the
applause to your volunteer.
Notes
Apart from your set of Baffling Blocks, all you’ll need
to perform this routine is a few stickers, size isn’t important
— circular stickers up to an inch in diameter are fine. You
just need enough room to draw the simple ‘aspect icons’.
On the subject of the icon symbols, you could of course

get the spectator to draw them. This does give you a little
more scope for your reading, by analysing the spectator’s
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drawings. Nevertheless, I feel that this could put more

pressure on the spectator, so I draw them myself.
By all means change the icons to suit your routine. I

feel that there are lots of alternative possibilities here for
three-way outcomes and subsequent analysis or reading. For
example, you could use the simple Yes, No, Maybe
alternatives. Or you could refer to Plato’s three necessities
for a harmonious life (see Appendix).
If you wish to learn more about cold reading techniques

there are plenty of books around. Check out, for example,
Money-Making Cold Reading by Hobrin, Richard Webster’s
Quick and Effective Cold Reading, or Red Hot Cold Reading
by Thomas K Saville and Herb Dewey.
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Variations and Experiments

The blocks quickly become a talking point with people and
lend themselves to further experiments. I have found people
love to try them again and really enjoy different variations.
What follows are the common variations I use. They

are great for expanding the effect and also for disproving (in
the nicest way possible) some of the common theories people
come up with to explain how the blocks work.
Off Hand
Most people will naturally reach for the blocks with
their dominant hand. The first variant gets people to test the
blocks using their off hand. The effect should be the same,
but it is great to discuss the similarities and differences
between their dominant hand and their off hand.
Two Hands
Using both hands is just as effective, and a good way of
trying the blocks if you have small hands. This is a great way
to disprove the idea that it’s the specific way you lift the
blocks when doing it one handed that creates the effect. This
is the second most common suggestion people make to
explain the blocks (after magnets!).
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Two-Person
Getting two people to try the blocks together is a fun
variation (an example of how to use this as a full
presentation can be found under the ‘Couple in Love’
variation). Ask two people to hold the blocks with one hand
at opposite ends of the blocks. Lifting all three together and
then using the same process, just the top block.
Eyes Closed
This is a favourite of mine. Ask the participant to
repeat the process but with their eyes closed. One of the
central theories of the baffling blocks and the overall
Charpentier illusion, is the idea that we are making
assumptions about the weight of an object based on
observing it. So it follows that if you cannot see the blocks
you should not feel the effect.
This proves not to be the case when someone has

previously experienced the blocks.
During the Friday night of Doomsday VII (2016), the

annual UK gathering of Bizarre Magicians and Mystery
Performers, I demonstrated the blocks to Dr. Matteo Borrini,
and he was keen to experiment. We did all the previous
variations and when I had guided him through the eyes
closed version we discussed possible explanations. Matteo is
a Forensic Anthropologist as well as magician, and his
knowledge of how the human body works provided some
interesting insights into possible explanations. We spent time
discussing the ‘eyes closed’ variation and noted that in all the
previous tests I had carried out the participants had already
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experienced the blocks. This suggested an experiment where

someone who had never seen the blocks tried the experiment
with their eyes closed.
We found a volunteer and I walked them through the

process. The results were very interesting. They did not
experience the effect of the blocks. The third block did not
feel heavier than all three. We repeated the effect with
another person and had the same response. Both people did
feel the effect when they repeated the experiment with their
eyes open. This does suggest that the illusion relies on us
seeing the blocks before trying the effect. But this does not
explain why we continue to feel the effect even with our eyes
closed once we have experienced them for the first time.
Repeated Testing
Like many of the finest optical illusions, once you have
experienced the baffling blocks you will continue to
experience the effect. You can repeat the effect over and over
again and still experience the effect. It appears to be
something you cannot turn off.
Turning the Top Block Over

The most common explanation people come up with is
‘magnets’. As with traditional magic tricks, once someone
thinks they understand the method, they satisfy their curious
mind and this explanation becomes ‘the way’ the trick was
done, even if their idea is incorrect. If someone suggests
‘magnets’, I like to use this simple variation to disprove their
theory.
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Turn the top block over 180 degrees. Get the person to
try again, pointing out that if it was magnets the effect should
be very different. They will have the same experience and
you can explain that you don’t use magnets and that magnets
wouldn’t give that effect even if they were used.
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Interview and Discussion

Whilst writing this book I had a number of conversations
about the blocks with my good friend and fellow performer
Luke Robson. Luke has first-hand experience of watching
me grind the Baffling Blocks on the streets during the
Edinburgh Fringe Festival when I was stage managing his
show (he has now seen the Blocks so often he can do my full
script word for word) and the conversation below shares
some of the thoughts, ideas and comments we have
discussed. The conversational style has been retained and I
am sure Luke won’t mind the small amount of editing I have
made to clarify some points.
Luke: I have a couple of questions, on the blocks. I just

want to clarify in the street version you say participants are
allowed to verbalise but not to explain what they have
experienced?
Ashton: By verbalise I mean the automatic reaction to

the blocks. This varies dependent on the participant, but I
have received lots of different responses, including
expletives. This is great for helping to build the crowed and
for showing how odd the experience it. But I don’t want
people blurting out what the effect is. So you can say ‘Oh
wow, that’s strange’ but not ‘Ooooo the top block is heavier
than all three’
Luke: In any of the performances, you can sometimes

get somebody who might not feel anything, what do you do
in this situation?
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Ashton: Yes, I’ve found around 1% of people either

don’t feel the effect or do not pick up on it. I use a couple of
methods to help. The important thing for me it not to make
the person feel stupid. In our performances we should always
try to make our participants and volunteers feel special and
looked after. Too many magicians treat their volunteers
terribly, using them as the butt of jokes or making them look
and feel stupid. This is something that really frustrates me
about magicians and is one of the reasons I feel the craft is
not as well respected as it should be.
We have the potential to create wonder in our

audiences, we don’t need to make anyone feel silly or
embarrassed. People watching magic know they are going to
be ‘fooled’ but we shouldn’t ever make them feel ‘foolish’.
This is probably best illustrated with the ‘Bar Bet’ and

‘Street Show’ variations. The bar bet is probably the easiest
to perform and one most readers will probably begin with.
Imagine you are using the blocks to get someone else to buy
the round. It’s all fair and friendly (remember this is not a
scam!) and they don’t experience the effect. So you keep to
your agreement and buy the round of drinks, which you were
going to do anyway, so you haven’t really lost out. However,
someone will see what is going on and will be intrigued as to
what is going on and will want to try. You can do it as
general payment for a single drink as well, most people I
have used this on are more than happy to pay for a drink in
response to having ‘a go on the blocks’.
Remember it should be fun and playful, not a scam, it's

pointless as a scam, and I don't want to encourage that sort of
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thing, it's a playful thing. Particularly if you have a few

magicians at the bar.
On the streets and situations where you are trying to

make money through the blocks I need as many people to
experience the effect as possible. The basic street script sets
up a lovely situation. I'm trying to get someone to have an
experience and the implied agreement that we've got is, ‘if
you experience something strange you put something in the
box (or hat)’.
I like to suggest a ‘Gold coin’ as in the UK our £1 and

£2 coins are gold in colour. People seem very happy to pay
that. Give it a go and just pretend you don't get anything and
I will go into my basic script.
Luke: OK, <lifts blocks> ‘I don't get it?’
Ashton: ‘Nothing? Give it another try. Maybe hold the

three blocks in your hand a bit longer. Nothing?’ <participant
tries again and shakes their head>
At this point I will ask them if it’s OK to whisper into

their ear,
‘Did you not feel the block on its own it was heavier
than all three?’
Then you'll probably get one of two answers, one will

be, ‘Yes.’ Which means that they got the effect but they
didn't recognise or realise that was the effect. Sometimes the
effect can be quite subtle and people may be expecting
something much stronger or obvious. This is probably down
to me not explaining the effect beforehand. But I have found
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the effect on people is much better if they get to discover it

for themselves. I am happy to take the risk that they won’t
feel anything and then explain if I have to.
The second situation is when they try again and still

don’t experience the effect. I cannot explain why this
happens, but I find around 1% of people experience nothing,
they don't get the effect, they don't feel it at all. Let’s pretend
you have tried it and felt nothing, I have whispered into your
ear and you have another go.
‘Let's try that again… all three… just the one…. no,
nothing?’
Luke: ‘No’.
Ashton: ‘That's very interesting. I've performed all

over the country and noticed about 1% of people get nothing
from this, you are part of a very exclusive group of people.
What sort of job do you do?’
I do this as I did have a hypothesis that people in very

logical and exacting jobs may experience the effect
differently. This has been shown to be incorrect as I have
performed for more people, but I am still looking for
possible patterns.
‘Okay, that's interesting, I am trying to understand why

some people don’t experience it and think it may be linked to
the jobs we do. Give it another go. OK, I’m sorry I couldn’t
give you the experience, remember you are part of a very
special group’
55
I think it is important to take final responsibility for

them not feeling anything, making it my problem not theirs. I
want them to feel special and not stupid.
In some of the performance variations it is essential

that the participants know what to expect, such as the séance
and faerie versions. We are using the blocks as experiments
to prove the existence of something. So they need to know
what to expect.
Luke: Some people don't like the idea of starting an

effect by explaining what it's actually going to do whereas as
with the faeries or the spirit versions, you're absolutely
saying you will feel something. Maybe that's is why they
may feel the effect even more than usual. Because you've got
that added suggestion within the script.
Ashton: I think that's quite possibly very true.

Certainly, I have found that if people are almost given
permission to feel the effect then it is enhanced. Although, in
both the séance and faerie versions the setting and
atmosphere are very different to the street and bar versions.
They are both done as part of larger theatrical pieces and at
the point the blocks are used the audience will have already
experienced other effects and be in a very receptive state to
try the blocks.
Luke: Watching you perform on the street, sometimes

you meet a lot of people who try the effect and you give
them a second chance if you can.
Ashton: Yes, they can come back. I might have a chat

with them. One common thing you'll get is people wanting to
know more, but the last thing you want when you're on the
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street, performing is someone taking your time away from

making money. If I have a large crowd I can take them to
one side, allowing other people to experience the blocks. I
have found with UK audiences they are generally very polite,
and will wait to try it and then help other people take their
turn.
The hardest part is getting the first person to give it a

go. Once the first person has visibly reacted (and nothing bad
has happened to them) then the others are keen to try.
Especially when you remind the person who is reacting
about the first rule!
Luke: The street version has quite a bit of ‘bally’, so

presumably you'd have a crowd around by that point because
it’s a reasonably long intro, with plenty of repetition and
demonstration within it. If somebody joined at any point
they're going to be able to follow what you want them to do.
Ashton: Yes, that is the hope and what tends to

happen. If no one immediately offers to give it a go I usually
invite someone to try. A little peer pressure can be a great
way to encourage someone to have a go. I will pick a person
that's looking keen, who has laughed at the jokes and who
has been there from the start of the routine. What I wouldn’t
do is pick a person who is standing still, arms folded and just
staring. Like any magic effect that needs volunteers we need
to pick our volunteers with care. For the blocks I really need
the first person to have a big reaction to get the rest of the
crowd on board.
I won't usually pick a child as the first person. Kids

have great fun with the blocks and you get great reactions,
but I want an adult to try first to show it’s not a practical joke
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and nothing bad is going to happen. Whilst we don’t know

exactly why the blocks have the effect they do, current
thinking suggests neuroscience holds the key and there must
be a point in our development that the effect becomes
something we can feel.
I've been trying to find the age that which it starts

working and I've had five-year-olds get the effect, which is
fantastic. The key with the kids and anyone with little hands
is to use both hands. The effect is the same, but it is easier
for people with smaller hands. This is also a good idea to
suggest for anyone with very long nails.
Luke: I have noticed you sometimes show people a

number of variations of the basic ‘lift three blocks, then the
top one’.
Ashton: Yes, I have a number of variations, they are

detailed in the chapter on variations and experiments. I do
this when I’m performing on the street and it’s a bit quiet. If
I have the interest of someone, a couple for example, and
they are having fun and getting good reactions I will suggest
some additional experiments. Seeing people who are
interested and enjoying themselves is a great way to get other
people to stop and see what is going on. Showing a few
variations is a win-win situation, they help me build my next
crowd and get to experiment with the blocks and discover
more about them, increasing the wonder.
Two people having fun with odd little blocks is a big

curiosity builder. I have found every Policeman/woman
walking past comes across to check you out. I imagine this is
to see if I am running a variation of the ‘the shell game’ or
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‘three card monte’. They soon relax when they see I’m not
and I always make a point of giving them a free go. I do this
for any emergency worker, they do an amazing job in
keeping us safe, so deserve a few perks. The same goes for
local council workers such as the street cleaning teams and
city guardians. They put up with a lot from the general public
and I like to make friends and keep them on side.
I've even used it as an interval piece during my evening

theatre show, where a volunteer at the end of the first act
agrees to be the guardian of the blocks. They take them and I
teach them how to do it. Anyone is invited during the
interval to go and have a go. The volunteer is asked to look
after the blocks and to note who has a really strong reaction.
I do this because during the second act, of my current

show, uses a lot of audience participation and a lot of ideo-
motor based effects. I have found that people with a strong
ideo-motor reflex is a good indicator of who will have a
strong reaction to the blocks and visa-versa, people who get
good reactions from the blocks tend to have a strong ideo-
motor response. I can start the second act and ask;
‘How did it go? who got a really good reaction?’
This gives me a good idea of people who should have a

strong ideo-motor response and will be great participants for
the next part of the show.
Luke: One observation from seeing you work it in a

street environment is people asking ‘how does it work?’
Ashton: One of the joys for me of street and festival

work is just doing it over and over again with different
59
people, seeing their faces, seeing the looks and the reactions.
When they do ask this I start by giving the simple answer;
‘We honestly do not know.’
Luke: Which is your main answer?
Ashton: Yes, it’s my first answer. I will then explain

that it is a variant of a well-known problem in psychology
called the size weight illusion, sometimes known as the
Charpentier illusion after the French physician Augustin
Charpentier who was the first to demonstrate the illusion
experimentally. At this moment in time there are several
theories that keep getting proposed that are then
experimentally disapproved, which is absolutely fascinating.
What we do know is you can't turn this effect off because
even when you know what to expect you will still get the
same effect. I been experimenting with the blocks for many
years and it still gets me every time. Which just shows how
amazing we are as creatures.
Luke: I've seen you bring them out in front of people

who have experienced it in the past and they really want to
have another go.
Ashton: Very much so, I always carry my blocks in my

bag as I get a lot of requests for people to have another go, or
people will request ‘can you show the blocks to my friend?’
This is always good, and important, because if you've got a
crowd of people and one person comes and has a go and they
get the effect, their face shows their reaction and suddenly
everyone goes, ‘What, what, what, what, what?’ And I
remind them of the ‘First rule, you can't tell them’.
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Ashton Carter
Anticipation and curiosity make this such a great thing to do

with people. Any more questions?
Luke: I think that's my main ones. It’s a great effect

and one with many presentation variations that can be short
or long.
Ashton: Very much so, I hope people go out there, try

different presentations and have fun with it.
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Reframing Magic
To perform magic well we need to spend a lot of time in
perfecting both the mechanics of the effects and our
performances. We must make sure that we can work the
effect and execute the necessary sleights and prop
manipulations, whilst giving the impression through our
performance that we are creating real magic, and that the
effect is definitely not being done by lifting two cards as a
single card or slipping that lemon under the cup so it can
miraculously appear.
Over time most magicians develop a core set of

presentations they really love, and the handling of these
effects becomes natural and seamless. Many professional
conjurers develop their acts and go on to perform the same
act for many years to great success. David Devant is
famously quoted when asked how many tricks he knew.
‘When I told this young conjurer that I knew eight

tricks, I meant, of course, that I performed eight tricks. That
was quite true. For some years my repertoire consisted of
eight tricks, but I knew them thoroughly. I was always ready
to show them at any time, at any place, under any conditions.
Until a man knows a trick so well that he is always ready to
do it when he is called upon for a trick, he does not really
know it’ (Devant, 1922)
This is ideal if you are performing for different

audiences every night. But, if you are performing for the
same group of people on a regular basis such as your local
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pub, family gatherings or the local magic club, it’s easy to

feel that you have shown everyone your best tricks.
In this situation it is tempting (and I am sure we have

all done this at some point in our magical careers,
professional or not) to show a new trick. Something you
have just learnt or worse, just read in a book, when you
really should be taking the time to understand the trick and
make sure you can perform it well before inflicting it on your
audience. In this situation we are very likely to stumble over
the performance, make the sleights obvious to the audience
and make mistakes.
All the time your reputation as a good performer is

reducing in the eyes of the audience and you are also doing
the craft and art of magic a disservice. People may not
remember your best tricks but they always seem to
remember the magician who screwed up.
Wouldn’t it be great to take your favourite effects and

be able to repeat their performances to the same group? This
is where reframing comes in. In its simplest form reframing
is doing the same effect with different presentations. You can
reframe most magic effects and create a different
presentation. By creating a different presentation you
increase the number of times you can do the same trick to the
same audience (obviously you wouldn’t do the variations
consecutively). Reframing also means you can present a
version of the effect that is most suitable to the audience and
environment.
You have probably encountered reframing when

buying the latest magic effect. I often hear magicians
‘moaning’ that their latest purchase is ‘just a different
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version of <insert popular effect here>’ or ‘yet another trick

with <insert popular sleight here>’. It is true. What you are
paying for in these cases is the time the creator has spent in
trying a different approach, story or setting to a prop, effect
or sleight. You are paying for their creativity and
development time.
Finding alternative presentations to our effects is

something we can all do and it will save you time and money
in the long run. Obviously you should also keep buying new
things from your local magic dealer and creators.
A great example of how a single sleight can be used to

create many effects and presentations is the Elmsley Count
(a good source to learn this effect is Giobbi, 1995). With this
relatively simple sleight you can cause cards to appear,
vanish and transform. There must be hundreds (if not
thousands) of packet tricks that use the Elmsley Count. Some
use playing cards but many use alternative images to tell
stories from the spooky to the humorous. All sorts of images
have been used from animals, symbols, photos (including
some very risqué versions). I have spoken to several
professional performers who use packet tricks within their
restaurant residencies as they allow for different
presentations using the same sleight. A very important thing
when they are performing to regular customers of the
restaurant who have enjoyed their previous shows.
The Baffling Blocks demonstrate how a single effect

can be reframed to fit different performance styles and
environments. The blocks can be presented as serious
experiments in science and the occult as well as fun
experiences in a bar or street setting. To make these work we
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need to change the way we present and introduce the blocks.

All of these variations have come about from thinking about
how I could use the blocks in different settings or finding
myself booked for a show with a particular theme.
An example of this is the ‘Proof of faeries’ variation. I

was booked to provide a series of performances at a local
museum alongside a wonderful exhibition that looked at
magical worlds in fiction and performance. I knew most of
the visitors would be family groups so reframed some of my
favourite magic to fit the exhibition. Surrounded by faeries,
historic stage magic and props from the Lord of the Rings
films I used the haunted key effect to open the door to faerie
land and the Baffling Blocks to demonstrate the existence of
the faeries. This went down very well with the children and
especially with the mums. These effects are great on their
own, but by reframing them to suit the location and theme of
the exhibition they became much more powerful in the eyes
of the audience.
My favourite moments was from a young girl, dressed

up in a faerie costume, experiencing the blocks and then
making her older brother try them. When he lifted the top
block and experienced the effect his sister waved her wand in
his face and shouted at the top of her voice ‘See, I told you
faeries exist!’ A truly wonderful moment that Mum found
hilarious and he took with good grace, as only someone who
has a younger sister can.
As another example, I absolutely love the classic ‘Pom

Pom Prayer Stick’ effect. It is one of the most wondrous
effects I know, providing multiple magical moments and that
final moment the sticks are pulled apart revealing the pom
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poms are not connected is truly a magical moment (I also

love saying the word ‘pom pom’ it is very satisfying). But
the Pom Pom Prayer Stick has a very bad reputation amongst
many magicians. It is seen as an old style magic effect that is
limited in its use. I have heard people say they don’t use it
because it ‘looks like a magic prop’ or ‘it is not very
magical’. I think the exact opposite, and made it part of my
general magic manifesto that I would include the Pom Pom
Prayer Stick in EVERY show I perform. This means I need
to have a presentation suitable for any audience or setting I
may find myself in including comedy cabaret, formal diners
and my séance presentations.
Each of these environments requires different

presentations, reasons and language to make the Pom Pom
Prayer Stick appropriate. Below are a few examples of these
different presentations.
Cabaret: Introduced as a cat toy (Thank you to Matt

Johnson for this wonderful justification of a Pom Pom Prayer
Stick, he has a great routine using this framing) and how I
became entranced with it while the cat looked at me with
pity.
Formal Dinners: Introduced as a new product I am

trying to sell to the local police force to identify drunk
drivers. I demonstrate the stick and get everyone to join in
shouting the colours of the pom poms as they are moved,
‘the red pom pom is connected to the blue pom pom’ etc. We
do it a couple of times getting faster and faster and anyone
who cannot keep up is too drunk to drive home.
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Scientific Audiences & Mentalism Shows: Introduced

as a warning to observers that our senses can lie to us.
Demonstrating the Pom Pom Prayer Stick and getting them
to appreciate we need to look at our own biases when we
conduct experiments.
Bizarre Magic & Séance: Introduced as a family

heirloom that has entertained and puzzled the family for
years. Demonstrated as a strange object asking the audience
to try to see how it works, only to share with them my
confusion when the parts are separated. Presented in a
serious way this serves as gentle introduction to family
history and strange objects, which fits in with the rest of my
show.
So far I have kept to my manifesto and always used the

Pom Pom Prayer Sticks
When reframing don’t just think about the patter you

will use. Think about how you will hold the props? What
style of presentation should you use? Loud? Quiet? Can you
include a different number of people in the effect? Can you
include the whole audience? Could you do it without a table?
Or with a table? Could the audience hold different props?
Can you do a silent version? Or use music? Could you do it
in verse? Or sing the words? Is it a serious or humorous
piece? Is there a bigger message or meaning in the effect? By
considering some of these questions (and this list is by no
means complete) you will find new life in favourite old
effects.
With a little thought and experimentation you should

be able to come up with a number of variations and
presentations for your favourite effects that mean you make
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it more appropriate for different audiences and keep doing it

again and again for the same audience.
GIOBBI, R. (1995). ‘Roberto Giobbi's card college’.

Seattle, Wash.: Hermetic Press.
DEVANT, D. (1922). ‘Lessons in Conjuring ... With

illustrations, etc’. George Routledge & Sons: London; E.P.
Dutton: New York.
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Appendix: The Size-Weight
Illusion
In writing this book it became clear an appendix was
required to explain the history and current debate around
how the Baffling Blocks actually work. Whilst I was
discussing different research papers and ideas with Russell
he very kindly volunteered to write this appendix. I think he
has made a much better job of summarising some very
technical academic papers than I ever could have. So finally,
for your edification and entertainment, prepare to learn the
secret of the Baffling Blocks…
The Baffling Blocks and the Size–

Weight Illusion
By Russell J. Hall
A vital part of any magic book is ‘The Method’ — how
the trick actually works. With the Baffling Blocks, however,
we have a bit of a problem. Unfortunately, it seems that
nobody knows how they work. We can experience the effect,
certainly. And we can set up a situation in which others can
also have that experience. But we can’t explain satisfactorily
what happens, physically or psychologically, to make it
work.
Psychologists and neuroscientists have a word for

what’s happening. It’s called the Size–Weight or
Charpentier Illusion, named after the French physician
Augustin Charpentier because he was the first to demonstrate
it experimentally and to discuss the related physiological
processes underlying weight perception.
Before we take a little more detailed look into the work

of Charpentier and subsequent researchers into the size–
weight illusion I should perhaps try to define exactly what it
is, particularly in relation to the Baffling Blocks. Essentially,
the illusion happens when we underestimate the weight of a
large object (the three blocks together) when compared to a
smaller object of similar mass (in this case, a single block).
Or we can state it the other way around: that the illusion
makes us overestimate the weight of the single block in
comparison with the three blocks together.
But what's really going on here?
Much of Charpentier’s original paper was devoted to a

discussion of the various physical and psychological
processes involved in weight perception. These include
pressure sensations when we pick up an object, sensations
from muscular contractions, the amount of motor energy
available and exerted, the area of skin in contact with the
object, and the object’s appearance. His only direct reference
to the size–weight illusion was in the final section of the
paper in which he mentioned ‘accompanying mental ideas’
as influencing apparent weight (Murray, Ellis, Bandomir and
Ross, 1999).
After Charpentier most researchers hypothesised that

the size–weight illusion happens due to ‘disappointed
expectations’. Although this may indeed be a factor in many
of our lives, if not in our audiences, in reference to the
Baffling Blocks this suggests that when we lift one of three
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similar blocks we expect it to weigh around a third of the
weight of the three blocks together. When the force required
to lift it is considerably more than we expect, the hypothesis
continues, then we get the illusion that the single block is
heavier than all three blocks together.
In other words, according to Ernst (2009), ‘... it has

been argued that the illusion might be caused by a mismatch
between the sensorimotor prediction and the actual weight.
According to this mismatch hypothesis, the wrong prediction
would lead to motor commands scaled inappropriately for
the object’s weight.’
In my experience this latter hypothesis is the one most

often put forward by spectators in seeking to explain the
illusion. The second most popular theory involves magnets,
which is pretty easy to disprove.
As a likely explanation the ‘disappointed expectations’

hypothesis is very convincing. It makes sense. Nevertheless,
research shows that it doesn’t explain what’s happening.
Flanagan and Beltzner (2000), for example, showed that
even after repeated lifting the illusion persists despite the fact
that the amount of energy used is adjusted correctly.
It would seem from this and other research that the

size–weight illusion is independent not only of expectation,
but of any direct relationship between perception and action.
What ‘explanations’ do exist seem essentially circular,
seeking to define the answer simply in terms of the
experience. Ernst (2009) puts it succinctly:
‘... despite over 100 years of research in which the size-

weight illusion has been well described and characterised,
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we still lack a good explanation of why the illusion occurs —
saying it occurs because the expectation is not matched and
thus we perceive a contrast is only a description of the effect,
and not an explanation.’
For those who’d like to find out more about the size–
weight illusion I’ve included some of the more interesting
papers in the Bibliography. You can find them online.
They’re not always easy reading though!
Of course, it isn’t necessary to know why an illusion

works in order to be able to use it effectively any more than
you have to understand the physics of the internal
combustion engine in order to drive a car. Although it could
be argued that as the effect is so strong and so mysterious
you’ll frequently find spectators who wish to discuss their
experience and their theories with you. You could come over
all mysterious yourself and fend off comments with a
conspiratorial wink or a teasingly/maddeningly raised
eyebrow, but some may find it useful to have some idea of
current theories. One day some astute neuropsychologist may
come up with the real answer to this fascinating illusion. I'm
looking forward to reading that; I have my dictionary ready,
but I’m not holding my breath.
The beautiful thing about the Baffling Blocks is that it

gives a spectator a mysterious, physical experience which
happens in his or her own hands. And the illusion,
essentially, is performed by the spectator on himself. You
could present it as a puzzle, but this is selling the Blocks, and
your audience, short. As well as being a great stand-alone
item, however, it makes a great lead-in to other routines.
72
Fortune Blocks, for example, could lead to a more traditional
in-depth reading.
Those of a more philosophical bent, or performers

wishing to expand their repertoire by offering illustrated
talks on the experience of magic and the way it seeks to
disturb or confound our reason or our senses, may use them
differently. For me, the Baffling Blocks confound both sense
and reason. So, forgive me a moment if I touch on a little
philosophy here. After all, it is concerned with the
fundamental nature of reality, as is magic, in its own way.
Take Plato, for example. He believed that reality has

two aspects: the world of the senses and the world of ideas.
Our knowledge of the sensory world can only be
approximate or incomplete because our senses themselves
can only operate approximately or incompletely. They are
essentially unreliable. The ideal world, however, we can
have true knowledge of by using pure reason.
Also, to Plato our bodies have three primary parts —

the head, the chest and the abdomen — which are in turn
related to the three necessities to a harmonious life: reason
belongs to the head, will to the chest, and appetite to the
abdomen. For harmony to exist within us reason must lead to
wisdom, will to courage, and appetite must be controlled to
lead to temperance. Think how this could be applied to a
performance piece which contrasts the feeling of the three
blocks together (in harmony?) with the experience of the
single block.
Aristotle was a pupil of Plato, but he felt that Plato’s

emphasis on the importance of the world of ideas meant that
he’d essentially turned his back on the sensory world.
73
Plato believed that our nearest approach to an
understanding of reality is through our reason — our
thinking. Conversely, Aristotle thought that our
understanding of reality can only come via our perceptions
— our senses.
The function of magic, however, is to temporarily

affect or distort our concept of reality.
We could say that a moment of magic is the result of a

discordance between our reason and our perception. A coin
is a solid, physical object that we are familiar with. Reason
tells us that it cannot vanish, change its form or colour, or
allow another solid object to pass through it, for example.
When we see such things happen in the hands of a

magician, if he or she performs them competently, this
moment of discordance between perception and reason is felt
as ‘magically’ pleasurable. (Or perhaps if performed a little
less than competently is seen as merely intriguing, or at
worst, puzzling.)
We don’t normally seek to change our world view or

amend fundamental laws of physics as a result of this
experience because we understand that it is the skill of the
performer that is responsible for the magical moment, which
is actually happening in our heads, not in the performer’s
hands.
Of course, if someone has little or no concept of

magicians’ techniques and is faced with a skilled performer
— or ‘psychic’ — who claims not to be using them, then
even trained scientists may begin to wonder about the limits
of our understanding of natural laws.
74
To sum up this little excursion into Blocky physics,
psychology and philosophy, although on the surface an
apparently simple puzzle, I believe that the Baffling Blocks
offers a multitude of possible applications in magical
performances, whether in mentalism, street performance,
pseudo-hypnotism, psychic entertainment, even academic
magic.
75
Bibliography
BRAYANOV, JORDAN B; SMITH, MAURICE A
(2010). ‘Bayesian and ‘Anti-Bayesian’ biases in sensory
integration for action and perception in the size–weight
illusion’. Journal of Neurophysiology, 103: pp 1518–1531.
ERNST, MARC O (2009). ‘Perceptual learning:

inverting the size-weight illusion’. Current Biology, 19:
R23–R25.
FLANAGAN, J RANDALL; BELTZNER, MICHAEL

A (2000). ‘Independence of perceptual and sensorimotor
predictions in the size-weight illusion’. Nature Neuroscience,
3: pp 737–741.
MURRAY, DAVID J; ELLIS, ROBERT R;

BANDOMIR, CHRISTINA A; ROSS, HELEN E (1999).
‘Charpentier (1891) on the size-weight illusion’. Perception
& Psychophysics, 61: pp 1681–1685.
PETERS, MEGAN A K; MA, WEI JI; SHAMS,

LADAN (2016). ‘The Size-Weight Illusion is not anti-
Bayesian after all: a unifying Bayesian account’. PeerJ, 4:
e2124.
ROSS, HELEN E (1969). ‘When is a weight not

illusory?’. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology,
21: pp 346–355.

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The Magicians’ Guide

Adventures With The

Adventures With The

Foreword by Nik Taylor

Carter’s Magical Events

This book or any portion thereof may not be reprinted,

First Printing: 2018

Ebook version first published: 2020

Carter’s Magical Events

Mary, George The Frog and Sheepy

For their endless patience, humour and support

Andy Hurst who named this effect

‘The Baffling Blocks’

I often consider how much of a real community the

I would particularly like to thank several people and

The other groups of people I am keen to thank are the

I must also thank Roger Curzon who was with me at

I am indebted to Russell Hall the proprietor of

I am grateful to Steve Drury for his advice on the

A big thank you to Andy Hurst of Cavern Magic for

Thanks to John Martin for his contribution and for

Through my years exploring the Baffling Blocks Nik

I could go on with this list, but realise it is becoming a

Ashton Carter, 2018

‘Imagine that we are sitting in an ordinary room.

Such is the uncanny power of the Baffling Blocks.

Scroll forward to 2013, Blackpool and the harsh reality

It would be an exciting five years ...

… and the time is ripe to tell the world.

This volume represents the five years that Ashton has

The blocks themselves are simple, but the stories you

There is a chapter here about how the Blocks might

For, falling to the baffling blocks,

Nik Taylor, 2018

It would be an understatement to say my mind was blown.

The set I bought was created by Andy Hurst of The

“An engineer was moving three boxes of metal files

In 2018 I released the original copy of this book at the

Fast forward to 2020 and Alan contacted me to say he

Over the past eight years I have performed this effect in

I have also included the transcript of a conversation

Throughout the book you will see ‘example scripts’. I

my performances and fill the gaps in between with ‘patter’

This has made writing the scripted part of the book

I am yet to find an effect that causes so much wonder

If you follow the instructions in this book and practice

I hope you have as much fun with these versatile and

Ashton Carter, 2020.

Image 1: The author demonstrating the Baffling Blocks at the

What Are The Baffling Blocks?

Three identical looking blocks are displayed and

The performer demonstrates to the participant that they

The participant repeats the procedure and finds the

I will repeat that because it sounds ridiculous.

The top block apparently weighs more than all three

How does it work?

There are a number of hypothesis but experiments keep

Setting up the Blocks

Cleaning the Blocks

You can also wipe them with antibacterial/antiviral