In recent years magic has experienced a renewed and keen interest in mental, bizarre and storytelling magic. Magic that does more than just fool the eyes and mind, magic that tugs on the heart strings, that stirs arcane fears and longing, magic that grabs the audience and won't let go. Sometimes the experience is light and airy, sometimes it probes a bit deeper and provokes self analysis and even resolve, sometimes it is just plain spooky.
David Goodsell and the late Larry White spent three years of their lives gathering the best of this kind of magic in their unique Oracle Magic Magazine, acclaimed as one of the best "little" magazines ever published. The quality of the magic as well as the artwork and creative design made every issue a unique experience. The material deserves to be shared with a much larger audience.
David Goodsell has gathered all the printed and web materials from volumes 1, 2 and 3 and has added a special all-new Larry White Memorial issue of Oracle Magic Magazine, all as PDF ebook. Over 1100 pages, 100 routines, and 85 contributors including names like Robert Neale, Jeff McBride, Larry White, Cody Fisher, Roni Shachnaey, Master Payne, Brother Shadow, Larry Becker, David Parr, Barrie Richardson, etc.
Here is David Goodsell in his own words how the Oracle came to be:
I had the good fortune to serve as editor of M-U-M magazine, published by the Society of American Magicians, for nearly 30 years. For the last 15 of those years Larry White served as my Magic Editor. In the latter years of that relationship we found that we shared a love for bizarre and story telling magic. The occasional article grew to a regular presence in the magazine as we jointly worked on special features, such as our "Haunted" issue, and the monthly "Shadowland" column. When I stepped down as editor, Larry and I decided to venture into our own publishing project with Oracle Magic Magazine, a combination print and on-line magazine devoted to mentalism, bizarre and story-telling magic. We completed three volumes before Larry's health began to fail and we decided to end the venture. While I could have continued on my own, I really didn't want to do that at the time.TABLE OF CONTENTS
Volume 1 No. 1 Print
- An interview with Alain Nu
- Merlin's Six Tarot Repeat by Leslie Melville
- The Hunch Player by Brother Shadow
- Invisible Zone Zero by Payne
- The Ghost Bottle by Larry White
- The Ultimate Clipboard by Roni Shachnaey
- Alain Nu Interview continued
- Pro Choice by Alain Nu
- Flipped Out by Alain Nu
- Test Conditions Spirit Message by Larry White & David Goodsell
- In the Oracle's Ear
- Help Clean Up New Orleans by Bruce Barnett
- Wisdom of the Ages by David Goodsell
- Mindvention 2005 review
- Oracle Reviews
- An interview with Brother Shadow
- Bell Book & Candle by Mark Strivings
- Do You Sushi by Pascal Clement
- The Escape Artist by Bob Neale
- Bloody Simple Movie by Tony Iacoviello
- Feather Psychokinesis by Brother Shadow
- Bell Book & Candle, additional notes by Mark Strivings
- Teeny Genie by Kotah
- Lucky Jacques by David Goodsell
- Oracle Reviews
- ICBM 2005 review
- In the Oracle's Ear
- How to Create Story Magic by Larry White
- Bizarre Cups & Balls by Bill Palmer
- The Great Jethro by Bob Parmacek
- A Weigh Out Prediction by Danny Archer
- Through the Looking Glass by Ed Solomon
- Larry White interview continued.
- The Great Jethro (full routine) by Bob Parmacek
- Oracle reviews
- Andy's Gump by Bob Neale
- Developing Storytelling Magic by Bob Neale
- Veil of Glass by Ron Dayton
- The Stark Experiment by Dean Montalbano
- The Sword of Diablo by Gerald Wincklhofer
- The Cameron Gathering 2005 review
- Rapping and Tapping Table Details
- Alien Postcards by Jim Fish
- In the Oracle's Ear
- The Changing Nature of Bizarre Magick, essay
- Heart of Arkam by Michael Henry
- A Polite Nod of Mourning by Walt Anthony
- Slip of a Reading by Kenton Knepper
- Directional Pendulums by Stefan Dardik
- Heart of Arkam apparatus
- Mental Locket description
- Stark Experiment by Odes Odhner
- Oracle reviews
- The Saga of Wild Bill by Peter Marucci
- The Curse of Seth by Pasqual Perrino
- West Coast Gathering review
- Big Bargain Shane
- The Strange Ritual of Purification & Confusion by Felippe Fabbi
- The Essence of Yang by Stefan Dardik
- In the Oracle's Ear
- Spoon Bending by Roni Shachnaey
- Invisible Coinetic by Larry Becker
- The Dardik Poem Stack by Stefan Dardik
- The Power of the Curse by Alexander Roemer
- Emotional Chairs by Roni Shachnaey
- Dardik's Sample Psychic Reading
- Dardik's Tarot Poem Stack Bookmark
- Emotional Chairs, a discussion
- The Oracle by Ed Solomon
- Bizarre Magick at the S.A.M. Convention review
- Merlin's First Magic by Tom Crecelius
- Possessed by Leslie Melville
- The Flight of the Little Yellow Pom-Pom by Leslie Melville
- Frame of Mind by Odes Odhner
- Nevermore by Peter Marucci
- Peek A Card – business cards
- Brainwave My Way by Roni Shachnaey
- An Oracle Challenge by Pierre Barry
- In the Oracle's Ear
- Premature Burial by David Parr
- The Underhanded Undertaker by Kotah
- Kexakosioihexekontahexaphobia by Kim Walkowski
- For Justice by Marlene Clark
- David Parr's Interview continued
- Edna Gray's Premature Burial by David Goodsell & Larry White
- How to Make Edna Gray's Coffin Bell by Larry White
- I Am Here by Peter Marucci
- Talking Us to Death by Ed Solomon
- For Better… Or Worse by Walt Anthony
- The 27th Victim by Ron Dayton
- The Borley Rectory Séance by Ed Loveland
- A Halloween Story by Leslie Melville
- The Legend of the 13 Graves by Larry White
- Oracle Challenge Responses
- In the Oracle's Ear
Volume 2 No. 1 Print
- Tossed Out Deck by Cody Fisher
- Dark Knight Detectiving by Mark Piazza
- The Die is Cast by Philemon Vanderbeck
- The Shroud of Marcel by Master Payne
- Spirit Key Convincer by David Goodsell
- More Thoughts on the Tossed Out Deck by Cody Fisher
- The Handkerchief Frame Construction Plans
- Batman Anti-Hero Cards
- Romeo & Juliet by Geoff Goodway
- Reverie – A Poetic Presentation for the Linking
- Rings by Walt Anthony
- Band of Brothers by Doug Byrd
- Love Conquers All by Peter Marucci
- Mitos Odnalor, an introduction
- Jesusity & El Lobo by Mitos Odnalor
- Read Them Like a Book by Odes Odhner
- ICBM Gathering 2006 review
- In the Oracle's Ear
- Tickling Oracle's Funnybone
- SpecWriter by Roni Shachnaey
- The Tortured Bill by Robert Neale
- Food for Thought by Kenton Knepper
- Egyptian Cinderella by Larry White and David Goodsell
- Egyptian Cinderella by David Goodsell
- Satan's Seat (plans) by Tom Palmer
- The Elves' Gift by Brother Shadow
- Billet Buzz by Roni Shachnaey
- Sublime Success by Bob Neale
- The Lock Pick by Max McLaughlin
- Ain't Nothin' Easy by Ron Dayton
- The Dragon Box of Feng Fang Foom by Stefan Dardik
- How To Stretch Your Arm by Larry White
- Workshop: Ed Solomon's Bizarre from the Bazaar
- Cameron Memorial Gathering 2006 review
- In the Oracle's Ear
- An Interview with Denomolos
- Egyptian Curses by Ed Solomon
- The Chessman Problem by Santiago
- Sweet Intuition by Larry Becker
- Coins for the Ferryman by R. Shane
- Denomolos Interview continued
- Ed Solomon Interview
- Pizza Please by Ed Solomon
- The Plain Brown Box by Ed Solomon
- The Blind Men and the Elephant by Ed Solomon
- The Unexpected Return of the Traveler by Lary Kuehn
- Keep Your Trap Shut by Dean Montalbano
- Never Bet the Devil by Stefan Dardik
- Only a Paperfolded Rose by Bob Neale
- Sewing by Brother Shadow
- Royal Purple by Larry White
- The Ron Dayton Wallet Workshop
- In the Oracle's Ear
- Docc Hilford Interview
- Glass Demons by Docc Hilford
- A Moment in Time by Joe Cabral
- Fate Healing by Bruce Kalver
- Docc Hilford Interview continued
- Evelyn's Postcard & Letter for Moment in Time
- Demon of the Tarot by Romer
- First Lie Detector by Larry White
- Cleromancy by Chuck Smith
- Morning Breath by Ron Dayton
- Rings by Roni Shachnaey
- Magic Glasses by Brother Shadow
- Paper Fortune Cookie by Larry Becker
- It's In The Mail by Craig Browning
- Card Aging by Mary Tomich
- Stab in the Pack by Master Payne
- The Man Who Knows by Rivkin & Dardik
- Hieroglyphics By Gene Poinc
- The Pre-Destiny Experiment Workshop
- In the Oracle's Ear
- Barrie Richardson Interview
- The Spooky Fork by Barrie Richardson
- Sophie's Back by David Goodsell
- Trauma by Roni Shachnaey
- The Mona Lisa Scream! By Bruce Ballon
- Secret Service by David Goodsell
- Notes on Roni's Trauma
- Art Prints for Mona Lisa Scream
- Secret Service, additional notes
- Locker Combination Theme by David Goodsell
- The End of the World As We Know It by Shane
- The Human Pencil Sharpener by Dean Montalbano
- Name in Flames by Roni
- The Gnome's Magic Copper by Joe Cabral
- The Chess Piece by Larry White
- Business Minded by Bob Solari
- An Adventure with a Leaf by Leslie Melville
- The Fountain of Youth by Brother Shadow
- How to Age a Map by Brother Shadow
- The Lone Ranger's Secret Phobia by Mitos Odnalor
- Walking Barefoot by Ron Dayton
- What Goes Around Workshop by Ed Solomon
- In the Oracle's Ear
- Tickling the Oracle's Funnybone
- Todd Robbins Interview
- Dreams, Death & Divinations by Odes Odhner
- The Petrified Soldier by Stefan Dardik
- The Unexplained Event at Webster's Tavern, a report by The Scribe
- Todd Robbins Interview continued
- Séance – A Journey Into The World of Spirits by John Coulter
- The Deadly Nut & Bolt by John Coulter
- Ghost of the Medicine Woman by Roni Shachney
- Some Methods of Spirit Rapping by Stefan Dardik
- Witchfinder General by Dr. Todd
- Steve Glaser's Séance
- Curious Coffin by Bob Neale
- Not A Kind Wiccan… She! by Gene Poinc
- Electronically Controlled Candle Workshop by Ed Loveland
- Handy Project Workshop by Ed Solomon
- Classic Vampire Cocktails
- In the Oracle's Ear
Volume 3 No. 1 Print
- Neil Tobin Interview
- Resurrection Mary by Neil Tobin
- The Four Sisters by David Goodsell
- The Legend of Banaue Rice Terraces by Sinnead
- Neil Tobin Interview continued
- The Four Sisters, version 2
- Duplicity by Harry Truman
- Just Add a Pinch for a Tasty Séance by Mark Strivings
- VCR Zodiac Sign Test by Dale Hildebrandt
- Sharing a Fantasy by John Coulter
- A Ration of Dark Rum by Ron Dayton
- Clear Vision by Roni Shachnaey
- I Shot An Arrow In The Air by Ed Solomon
- The Toe Tag Test by Larry White
- Holiday Gift Magic Workshop by Larry White
- How to Die Three Times
- The Cameron Gathering 2007 review
- An Interview with the Scribe
- Lion Tamer by Laura Wright
- Luke and the Beer Cans
- Prince of Darkness by Marie Toomuch
- Tony Walter's Ghost Hunt
- Interview with the Scribe continued
- Ghost Hunt continued
- Prince of Darkness Cards
- Doctor Broose at Circe's Rest
- Evildan Goes To Hell by Evil Dan
- Pete's Hotel by Demons Loo
- A trick for the Chinese New Year by Stefan Fisher
- Voodoo Dart Toss by Jim Magus
- Mental Fetch by Dr. Spektor
- Super Coin by Dale Hildebrandt
- Incident at Mitre Square by Ron Dayton
- Gemini Reclothed by Chuck Stylesmith Smith
- Under the Tree by Roni Shacnaey
- Holmes and Watson by Peter Marucci
- Tibetan Buddhist Sacred Monkey Skull by Ed Solomon
- A Low Budget Spirit Lock workshop by Master Payne
- Rabbit/Duck Illusion by Alan Wassilak
- London Mentalism Meeting #2 review
- In the Oracle's Ear
- Master Payne Interview
- The Pardoner's Tale by Master Payne
- How I Became a Jongleur by Master Payne
- One Way Ticket by Larry White
- Super Shopper by Larry Becker
- One Way Ticket method by Larry White
- More Payne
- Professor Payne's Gallery
- My Adventures with the Jim Rose Sideshow by Master Payne
- The Number of the Beast by Pasqual Perrino
- The Hofzinser Cards by Larry White
- Have You Ever Been Hypnotised by Leslie Melville
- Dream Dinner by Bruce Ballon
- Spec-Break by Roni Shachnaey
- Le Bateleur by Dr. Todd Landman
- Zodical Light by Ed Solomon
- The Devil's Wand by Peter Marucci
- Frixion Pen Brainstorming
- The OM Box workshop by Chuck Stylesmith Smith
- Masklyn ye Mage, and essay
- The Breath of Hella by Masklyn ye Mage
- Cagliostro's Final Seecret by Alexander Roemer
- The Mark of Septimus by Stefan Dardik
- The Deryni Factor Revisited by David Goodsell
- The Deryni Factor Revisited continued
- Memories of Andruzzi
- Daemon Dirt
- The Ghost of Masklyn by Mark Piazza
- The Key of Imagination by Bruce Ballon
- Shoes by Mike Rogers
- Meditations on a Die Box by Frederick Turner
- Routine for Fogel's Triple Prediction by Brother Shadow
- Mad Money by Dale Hildebrandt
- A Visit to the Corner Store by Ed Solomon
- The Tell Tale Teletubbie by Master Payne
- 20/20 by Ron Dayton
- Rebirth of the Phoenix by Peter Marucci
- Certainment workshop by Jim Kleefeld
- Circle of the Morning Star by Jim Kleefeld
- The Cleveland Torso Murders by Jim Kleefeld
- Nomi the Alchemist by Jim Kleefeld
- Jack's Forgotten Victims by Jim Kleefeld
- Fangs for the Memory by Alexandra Wallace
- The Voodoo Doll by Ed Loveland
- The Name of the Dead by David Goodsell
- Roni's Center Tear
- Then Another…Then Another… Then Another… by Leslie Melville
- Paulo – Priest and Scientist by Roni Shachnaey
- The Name of the Dead Illustrations
- Watering by Bob Neale
- Black Art Prediction by Don Drake
- Sea Fever by Larry White
- Signed & Sealed by Chuck Stylesmith Smith
- Woosh by Larry White and Bob Neale
- The Tears of Our Children by Odes Odhner
- How To Make Rupert's Tears workshop by Larry White
- In the Oracle's Ear
- Death Becomes Us by Peter Marucci
- The Sanitary Vampire by Lary Kuehn
- The Alphabet Block by Ron Dayton
- Séance for an Unknown Spirit by Roni Shachnaey
- Two Presentations for the Haunted Key by Stefan Fisher
- Darwin's Séance Table Gimmick by Don Drake & Gary Darwin
- Portal Rough by Ed Solomon
- A Conversation with Jeff McBride
- The Fire Ritual by Jeff McBride
- The Gods Play Dice by Bob Neale
- Cannibal Cards by Eugene Burger
- More McBride, the Interview Continued
- Gods Play Dice, Sources, by Bob Neale
- Birthdated by Dale Hildebrandt
- A Yuletide Smash & Stab by Master Payne
- The Beast in the Hall by Ed Solomon
- Seeing with the Fingertips by Chuck Smith
- A Shel Silverstein Routine by Marlene Clark
- That Magic Moment by Larry White
- Arachniphobic Anni by Odes Odhner
- Scripting Magic by Pete McCabe
- Coffins Nails Plus by Ed Loveland
- My Card at Your Number by Larry White
- The Game of the Master by Ed Loveland
- Doctor Watson's Lost Journal, a Story Puzzle by Leslie Melville
- The Mayan Spirits of Teotihuacan by Ed Loveland
- Spooked Horse by Ed Loveland
- La Casa Rosada by Mitos Odnalor
- Captain Slone's Glass Eye, a Devil of a Bar & Pub Report
- The Swastika, a Story Puzzle by Leslie Melville
- The Vampire Convention by Larry White
- Mystery of the Bells workshop by Ron Dayton
- PSYCRETS – The British Society of Mystery
- Entertainers report
- Tickling the Oracle's Funny Bone
- A Gift Card from Odes Odhner
- Should Old Acquaintance Be Forgot by Ed Solomon
- It's About Time by Ed Solomon
- Remembering Larry by David Goodsell
- Larry White's Spirit Cabinet Presentation introduced by Leslie Melville
- A Properly Parsed Poem for The Mystery of the Five Linking Rings by Master Payne
- Hell's Bells by Jim Kleefeld
- Hellbound and Other Diversions: The Name is the Game by Robert Neale
- Animal Menagerie by Dr. H. Fredrick Reisz, Jr.
- The Devil Takes A Hand by Peter Marucci
- Dicky Dean's The Card That Never Dies by Dicky Dean
- Dicky Dean Meets Peter Marucci, or, The Devil's Hand Never Dies by David Goodsell
- Dead or Alive Blindfold Test by Roni Shachnaey
- The Legacy of "Jimmy the Giant" (The Sliding Die Box Revisited) by Alan Wassilak
- Lucky Seven by Tom Craven
- Not Yo Mummy by Ed Solomon
- Extra Sensory Deception by Larry Becker
- Cursed by Brother Shadow
- Spell-Check Mated by Ron Dayton
- Mind Lock by ERYX
- The Night I Held Hands With Larry White in the Dark! by Bruce Kalver
- The Lion Ring by Bill Palmer
- Jesusita's Haunted Railroad Crossingby Mitos Odnalor translated by Rolando Santos
- The Cursing by Bruce Barnett
- The Mesmer Deck by Mitos Odnalor translated by Rolando Santos
- The Open Book Experiment by Ed Solomon (an Oracle Workshop)
- Arguments with God by Gene Poinc
- Burlingame's Magic Tricks
- Endless Amusements
- Oracle Rogue's Gallery