How It Looks circular wooden frame that supports the mouth
The magician begins by mentioning the widespread of the bag. The wire extends through a hole in the
belief that a positive mental attitude can lead to center of the handle and forms a loop at the end
wealth and success. The magician himself doesn’t of the handle. The magician secretly turns the loop
seem to be a stellar example, since he is still per- to rotate the semicircle of wire and expose one
forming magic tricks and has not yet retired to the compartment or the other inside the bag. Since this
Bahamas as a billionaire, but maybe someone in procedure requires 2 hands, some misdirection is
the audience has a more impressive track record. necessary while it’s taking place. The process of
If there is any such individual, would she or he be staring into the bag (supposedly to deliver positive
willing to step forward and contribute a 20-dollar vibrations) serves this purpose.
bill for a quick field test of positive mental powers? Initially, compartment A of the bag is secretly
After a volunteer has been chosen, the magi- loaded with a 5-dollar bill, while compartment B is
cian shows him the bag and turns it inside out to empty. This empty compartment is the one that’s
emphasize that it’s empty. The magician then turns exposed when the magician turns the bag inside
the bag right side out again and asks the volunteer to out. The volunteer can then insert the 20-dollar
fold a 20-dollar bill in half before placing it in the bag. bill into compartment B, provided the bag is not
It’s important to emphasize that only the volunteer inspected too closely.
will touch the money. After allowing the volunteer to beam positive vibes
The goal, now, is to transform the 20-dollar bill into the mouth of the bag, the magician stares into
into a 50. The volunteer is asked to stare into the it himself, simultaneously flipping the ring at the
bag and think positively. “Did it work?” the magician end of the handle to expose compartment A. The
asks after a short interval. He takes a peek himself. volunteer now removes the 5-dollar bill. The magi-
“Yes, I think it may have worked. Pull it out!” cian becomes concerned, repossesses the money,
The volunteer withdraws the bill, but instead of pushes it into the bag — but actually palms it and
turning into a 50, it has turned into a 5. The magi- withdraws it. This is quite easy to do, since all
cian becomes agitated. He accuses the volunteer attention is now on the bag, not on the magician.
of deliberately sabotaging the trick by applying The magician turns the bag inside out to show
negative energy. “You’d better give that to me,” says that the money has disappeared, then looks around
the magician. He takes the 5, puts it back into the as if hoping to see the money somewhere. This allows
bag, and this time, he applies his own powers of some misdirection during which the magician can
positivism, such as they are. slip the 5-dollar bill into his pocket, since it won’t
The situation now gets worse. The magician be required again. He can also flip the bag back
gropes inside the bag. He frowns. There’s nothing to compartment B. After the audience contributes
there! When he turns the bag inside out, he finds positive vibes, the volunteer can get his money
that the money has vanished completely. back. From this point onward, the bag is genuinely
What to do? Maybe a group effort will save this empty, allowing it to be turned inside out again for
situation. The magician holds up the bag and asks a quick inspection.
the entire audience to exert positive energy, to save The bag must be made from thick fabric, so
him from the humiliation of having to repay the that when the volunteer places his money into it,
volunteer with a check that is liable to be returned he won’t feel the bill that’s hidden in the second
for insufficient funds. After another short wait, this compartment. At the same time the fabric must
time the magician claims to detect success. “Did be sufficiently flexible so that it can be sewn
you hear it?” he asks. “I distinctly heard the rustle of around the semicircle of wire, allowing it to flip
paper money.” Of course no one did hear it, but the easily to and fro without making a sound. Felt is
magician is now confident. He asks the volunteer probably the best choice, and black the best color
to put his hand in the bag, and sure enough, there’s so that the mechanism inside the bag will be
some money in there. The volunteer pulls it out, and hidden in shadow.
his original 20-dollar bill has been restored.
How It Works
The bag has 2 compartments, selected individually
by shifting a divider that is attached to a semicircular loop of stiff wire concealed under the
NOTE: If you perform this trick, be careful that when
you take the money out of the bag and palm it, you take
your own, from compartment A, and not the volunteer’s
money from compartment B. It would be a major embarrassment if you had to confess that you put his money in
your pocket by mistake.
Make: 81
