Project 365 (157/365): Stigmata

.:157/365: Stigmata:.

This was a routine I was hoping to save for street magic month, but I think it’s fine enough as is as a card routine, although in reality, it’s a bit of mentalism on the side as well.

Stigmata is a classic that for some weird reason, i forgot to continue using despite the obviously powerful mileage that this routine really gets if you ever bothered to learn how to play it up. The mechanics are very simple, but I must warn you that it’s not very camera-friendly as a routine, so don’t try doing it for the video, unless you have an HD camera that could really show what happened.

Essentially, the mechanics are as follows: they pick a card, and then they can do whatever they want with it, like maybe shuffle it back in or whatnot. Afterwards, they focus on the card and imagine the card imprinted in their hand, and then they reach out to clutch your arm as tightly as possible.

Where the finger marks should be, the blood slowly rushes and forms the figure of the card they selected. If your spectators have a wild imagination, watch how crazy their reactions can get. You’d personally be amused.

I like this routine because it’s very simple and yet it can generate pandemonium given the right circumstances. People go nuts over it, because if you think about the whole routine itself, the layout can be quite creepy if you start attributing anything to something otherworldly or spiritual.

If you know how to do this, and you haven’t for a long time, do yourself a favour and give it a try. It’s refreshing getting those insane reactions all over again.