Tag Archives: David Fox

The Power of Positive Thought

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‘I am sure that human consciousness is a tangible energy. It is powerful when used for benevolent purposes, as it must be, and collective positive human consciousness could make our world a better place.’

Uri Geller

The legendary Liverpool Football Club manager Bill Shankly often spoke of his ability to influence his players by using the power of his mind. Shankly was convinced that he could ‘direct’ his players, and even determine the outcome of games from the touchline, simply through the sheer force of his will. Skeptics would of course baulk at such a claim, but the fact that Shankly transformed Liverpool into a colossus of world football surely gives some credence to his beliefs.

Indeed, perhaps the mind really is everything? From the moment we get out of bed in the morning, our state-of-mind has a massive bearing on the outcomes we will experience throughout the day. In ‘Use Your Psychic Powers to Have it All’, Uri Geller invites us to consider the latent capacity we have within ourselves to generate real positive change.

Like all of Uri’s books, this work is very positive, entertaining, and includes a variety of colourful and thought-provoking anecdotes. There are even some fascinating exercises you can try in order to develop your ‘PSI Force’.

Uri has been the subject of rigorous experiments and investigations over the years, and his psychic abilities have amazed many of the top minds in this field. His ability to use the power of his psyche to read minds, influence others, conduct telekinesis, find hidden objects under ground, and predict forthcoming events is very well documented.

For those with an open mind and a positive disposition, ‘Use Your Psychic Powers to Have it All’ is definitely a must-read. It is a very welcome publication as we come out of the pandemic, and face future challenges. Thank you Uri for helping us to remain positive!

To find out more about Uri Geller, visit his website at: Uri Geller Website

David Fox is a professional entertainer, artist and freelance writer based in the UK. Find out more about David at: David Fox Magic

G. I. Gurdjieff – The War Against Sleep

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‘You are in prison. If you wish to get out of prison, the first thing you must do is realize that you are in prison. If you think you are free, you can’t escape.’

G. I. Gurdjieff

Colin Wilson’s biography of George Ivanovitch Gurdjieff serves as a tremendous introduction to the life and work of this mysterious and mythical figure. Born in present day Armenia in 1866, Gurdjieff would develop a system – often referred to as the ‘Fourth Way‘ – in order to assist his students to develop greater awareness, unlock their potentialities, and pursue enlightenment.

Indeed, Gurdjieff was all too aware of the phenomenal genius which lies within the human psyche. Sadly, for most people, their potential will never be realised, as they live most of their lives in a state of ‘sleep’ – slavishly adhering to regulation and habit, and seldom stepping outside the box.

Wilson’s account describes Gurdjieff’s formative years and how he was stimulated to undertake ‘The Work’ and assist mankind, before discussing his journey around Europe and the USA. The colourful anecdotes reveal his personality, and undoubted popularity, during the early twentieth century. Gurdjieff’s magnetism attracted a host of disciples, and he would eventually found a commune at Fontainbleau, to the south west of Paris.

Gurdjieff’s most notable student was the Russian mathematician P. D. Ouspensky who would develop the great teacher’s theories and write extensively on ‘The Fourth Way’. Much of his work would be published posthumously.

Wilson encourages us to seriously consider Gurdjieff’s theories and methods in the conclusive chapter. As he so eloquently states: ‘man is a like a grandfather clock driven by a watch-spring. Or like an enormous water mill driven by a muddy trickle of water.’ He champions Gurdjieff as a colossus who sought to make us aware of the vast potentialities of human consciousness.

David Fox is a freelance writer, artist and entertainer based in the UK.

Superstition and Football – Bizarre Beliefs of the Beautiful Game

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zidane

Zidane is well-known for his curious pre-match rituals

The great Bill Shankly famously stated that football is ‘much more serious’ than a matter of life and death. Perhaps this is the reason why superstition abounds within the realms of the beautiful game. From Zidane and Maradona’s much publicised pre-match rituals, to Johan Cruyff’s charmed chewing gum, footballers the world over are well known for embracing the weird and the wonderful in the hope it will ensure good fortune once the white line is traversed.

elland

Elland Road was said to be cursed.

Leeds United’s legendary manager Don Revie was renowned for his lucky blue suit and superstitious nature. However, on receiving a letter from a gypsy in 1971, Revie decided to take things a stage further. The author insisted that Elland Road (Leeds’ stadium) was cursed as a group of gypsies had been forced off the land prior to its construction. Suffering from an unexpected loss of form at the time and dropping points, the manager duly invited a gypsy to the stadium in order to remove the curse. ‘Now you’ll start winning things’ she said after conducting a peculiar ritual on the pitch. Leeds would subsequently go on to produce some of the finest displays of Revie’s tenure and secure three more major trophies. Did the gypsy work her magic, or was it merely coincidental?

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Bela Gutman. Did he curse Benfica?

Perhaps Portuguese giants Benfica should take note of Revie’s faith in the supernatural. In the early 1960s the club was a major superpower and won the European Cup twice under the management of the mythical Bela Guttman. However, after achieving such incredible success, the Hungarian impresario was incandescent when the board denied him a pay rise. On leaving the club, he angrily proclaimed that Benfica would not win another European trophy for one hundred years. To date, the Portuguese side have been losers in eight major finals. Many Benfica fans now firmly believe that their club has been cursed.

pele

The great Pelé insisted his lucky shirt be found and returned

Even items of clothing take on mystical properties in the high pressure world of professional football. The sensational Pelé’s dramatic decline in form over several matches during the mid 1960s was attributed to the loss of his ‘lucky shirt’. The Brazilian master had kindly presented this to an adoring Santos supporter after a match. A close friend was hastily called upon to track down the special jersey. On its return, Pelé felt rejuvenated and his genius swiftly reappeared. Little did he know that his concerned companion had committed an act of chicanery by procuring another used shirt and pretending it was the lucky one!

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England Captain Bobby Moore

England’s World Cup winning captain Bobby Moore always insisted on being the last player in the changing room to put on his shorts, whilst striker Gary Lineker requested a shirt change at half time if he had yet to find the net. Both players boast a combined total of 188 international caps between them, so perhaps there really is a mysterious link between superstition and success?

domenech

Raymond Domenech openly declared his belief in astrology.

Nonetheless, no matter how much footballers may be willing to embrace the irrational to win matches, they clearly do have their boundaries, as French international manager Raymond Domenech discovered. His reliance on astrology when selecting which players to include in his squad frequently attracted ridicule. The dramatic fall out between Domenech and his team at the 2010 World Cup finals ultimately lost him his job. Another international manager who would fall foul to sceptics was Glenn Hoddle. His policy of calling upon the services of faith-healer Eileen Drewery (who had assisted him with a knee injury as a young player) left him open to scathing criticism.

toure

Kolo Touré insisted on being the last man out.

Touching wood, putting a right boot on first and sporting a lucky charm are all common-place superstitions. Indeed, the same habits will be repeated in dressing rooms across the land throughout the highs and lows of the footballing season. One such belief, strangely held by many players, is that they will have a good game if they are the last man out of the dressing room. Arsenal defender Kolo Touré took this to the extreme during his side’s 2009 Champions League clash with Roma. Team-mate William Gallas was receiving treatment at half time and Touré insisted on waiting until this was finished. His obstinance resulted in Arsenal starting the second half with nine men and him receiving a yellow card for entering the field of play late without the referee’s permission. Fortunately for Touré, Arsenal finished 1 – 0 winners.

Do you have any strange superstitions or unusual stories you would like to share? Why not email them to us at: email@magician-midlands.co.uk

The author of the article is David Fox a professional entertainer and freelance writer based in the UK. For more about David, visit his website at:

www.magician-midlands.co.uk

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