Ching Ching Gada-Ching Gada-Gada-Ching

“I picked up the dorje and chanted a bit—nonsense words, Asiatic sounding, insectile, similar to what I recalled of the Secoya language, came into my head and I called them out. ‘Ching! Ching! Gada-ching! Gada-gada-ching!” —Daniel Pinchbeck, “Breaking Open the Head,” excerpted in Book of Lies by Richard Metzger (2003)

Chimay (Instead of Abracadabra)

In the delightful Swedish short film Istället för abrakadabra ("Instead of Abracadabra"), by Patrik Eklund, the alternative magic word is chimay. The film is available in HD via iTunes.

(Thanks, Gordon!)

Nothing Comes from Nothing

"A little bit of one story joins onto an idea from another, and hey presto, . . . not old tales but new ones. Nothing comes from nothing."
—Salman Rushdie

The Left-Hand Path of Stage Magic

Here's a link to the talk we gave at the Magic & Meaning conference last October, with subtitles for the hard of hearing. The talk is entitled "The Left-Hand Path of Stage Magic":

http://mysteryarts.com/lefthandpath/

I Do

"The power of words lies in their being able to transport us into different landscapes, different worlds. Thus a novel turn of phrase may 'lift' us – taking us 'out of ourselves.' While a conventional phrase, consecrated and hallowed by ceremony and precedent, can put us into a new life: 'I do," says the bridegroom and he steps anew into life as a married man." —Philosophy and Organization (2007)

The Power of Suggestiveness

"The power of words lies in their suggestiveness rather than in their direct expression." —Herbert Antcliffe, Living Music

Enchantment Enough

"Language upon a silvered tongue affords enchantment enough."
—Salman Rushdie