Have you ever tried to guess what someone else is thinking? If the answer is yes, then you should think of yourself as a wannabe mind reader. It's true that there are many people who have this ability but it's good to know that most of the mind readers work by illusion and suggestion. In case you'd like to be a mind reader, you should be aware that it will take some time and work but you can succeed. Magicians are famous for knowing what others are thinking. Actually it's one of their most famous tricks to be a mind reader.

This trick is frequently used. They blindfold the magician and with the help of his assistant they go to a member of the audience and do the trick. Firstly, they tell him to show an object in his pocket and ask the magician what the object is. The magician answers "A comb" or any other subject that the audience member is holding. This might seem breathtaking but in fact it is simple and the magician is not a mind reader, not even close to it.

This is just a trick because people carry certain things in their pockets - money, driver's licenses, combs and the like. All the magician has to do is make a list of all the common items and then think of a code with his assistant. For instance, she might say "what is this man holding" when the member of the audience has a comb in his pocket, or "what is in her hand" when it is a coin, "Can you guess what it is?" for a driver's license and etc. The so called mind reader should have a good memory and that's it! He doesn't need any other special abilities, certainly not magic ones. This whole thing is just one trick and it can be easily learned by anyone who is a good memorizer.

Mind reading is also frequently used by street magicians. The magician gathers a crowd and picks one of the audience. He asks this man to write down the name of a loved one on a piece of paper and put it in a sealed envelope. Then the so called mind reader tries to guess the name by touching the envelope and guess what? He succeeds! The whole crowd believes the magician is a truthful mind reader.

However, the magician is just a smart con artist, not a mind reader. He has someone in the crowd to help him. This person reads the name written and tells it to the magician by certain gestures and signals. Everyone is looking at the magician and the sealed envelope, so this isn't very hard. There is a special code for each letter. And again there is no mind reader, just a magician with its tricks.

In conclusion, if you feel like being a mind reader, all you have to do is find a trusted helper; you don't need any other ability. Doing such tricks is not difficult at all, it just takes good technique and some practice. Once you know what you are doing, then you are ready for a performance if front of a large crowd.