Illusory Magick?

I just listened to a podcast at Jason Louv's 'Ultraculture' site, where he interviews Mitch Horowitz about Mitch's latest book 'The Miracle Club'.
Ironically, I also just watched the Derren Brown Netflix special 'Miracle', where Derren, a stage magician/illusionist, "reinvents the concept of "faith healing” through a series of stunts that "debunk" the confines of fear, pain and disbelief."
So, Derren, a professed atheist, is trying to show up the healing stunts of people like -
I'm Spiritual Dammit Podcast: Charlie Goldsmith from the hit show ‘The Healer’

And while I'm not an atheist, I do like watching stage magicians fool around with things that they don't quite understand themselves, like hypnosis and suggestion.
Magic All Around and Within Us?

Waiting in the audience for the
'Illusions Magic Show' to begin

My sons shouted me to a night out at a magic show last month called 'Illusions' for a birthday present, as my oldest son hangs around with stage magicians, so he enjoys stage illusionist shows.

'The Headless Rite'?!

The elephant in the room?!

And just like stage magic, or real life magick, timing is everything.
I had just read 'Elephants on Acid', a book I randomly picked up in Byron Bay last August, which was about bizarre and morbid experiments in the name of science, and one of those experiments was trying to find out how long a severed head retains consciousness.
Things Come in Threes?
I actually picked up an 'Ocean Road' magazine at my motel in 

Byron Bay that featured the advert of Matt Hollywood's 'Illusions' stage show (see the photo right at the top of this post) and had shown it to my sons, which was what inspired them to take me to the show for my birthday present.
The Elephants in the Room 2?

I had also read one of the more intriguing magickal practices Gordon White mentioned in his book 'The Chaos Protocols', called 'The Headless Rite', so when I saw Matt Hollywood stick his head in a guillotine just before the interval in his 'Illusions' stage show and appear to chop his head off, all of these thoughts about headlessness from magick, science and stage magic got me thinking to how all of these practices had in common with each other.
Of course stage magicians would believe everything is just a trick or illusion to be played on the gullible (much like Buddhist thought?-), scientists would believe everything had a rational explanation and that death is the end (much like atheists believe?-), and "real" magicians would believe that their thoughts could influence the real world of stage magicians and scientists through magickal spells with their minds influencing the gods and demons to do their bidding for them.
Ear Spring Isn't Listening to Your Chaos Magick and Wishes?

I haven't read any of Mitch's books, but I have watched a few You Tubes of Mitch talking, and he seems an interesting guy, but I don't really know enough about his work to endorse it.

Same with Jason Louv, I haven't read any of his books, but I have listened to a number of podcasts of his and other podcasts that he has been on and I have to say that the jury is still out for me on Jason, so I can't endorse his work either.

Gordon White interviews Mitch about 'The Miracle Club' in his 'Rune Soup' podcast, as well (above).
I just finished Gordon White's book 'The Chaos Protocols' and have to say it is worth a read, but I have mixed feelings about the ideas in it as far as the "magick" goes.
If I was going to do an Amazon type review on Gordon's book (which I'm not going to) I would give it a 3-star rating.
'Star.Ships' is the best book of Gordon's in my opinion, after having read 'The Chaos Protocols' and 'Pieces of Eight'.
Gordon's magical rituals described in his books just don't appeal to me.

John The Baptist

Whatever floats your boat I guess, but don't go losing your head over it I say;-)

Make A Wish Large Wishbone Necklace

I wouldn't mind reading Mitch's miracle book though in the near future, so I'll have to put that one on my wish list:-)

UPDATE: 2019

An aMUSEing Act of HOLLYWOOD Foolishness?