Magicians Are Sacred Clowns
Ten years ago I renewed my interest in the magical arts and joined the Society of American Magicians and the International Brotherhood of Magicians. A revitalized appreciation for magic and an opportunity to delve into several intriguing ideas that have, at least for me, a deep and existential meaning are the result. One concept that has special links to my studies in mental and occult activities is that magicians are sacred clowns, and I would like to inspect that thesis in this essay. ok A funny thing happened during my magic act at a Society of American Magicians meeting. Using the major arcana of the tarot, I performed a 'find the selected card' routine. My assistant chose a card, showed it to the members, and returned it to the deck while my back was turned. Taking the deck, I looked through it to find the chosen card. Well, it was one of those nights and I couldn't decided which was the card. Embarrassed, I announced my failure to my fellow magicians and then asked m...