Hocus Pocus

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I experienced some magic this week.

It was one of those types of magic that I believe everyone has experienced some variation of throughout the course of their lives. I was thinking about someone, and then I received a message from them.

I wasn’t just thinking about them. I hadn’t seen them for a while, so I decided to reorganise my schedule so that I had time to invite them out for a drink that evening and catch up. I was actually in the process of texting someone else in order to make space for this plan when I received their message.

There are probably three ways to look at this. The first is that I had a premonition. I had some kind of precognition that they were going to contact me, and not recognising it for what it was, I structured it into my reality as an idea to catch up with them that night.

The second possibility is that my thoughts manifested them contacting me. I put out into the world the idea that I was going to contact this person which then in some way caused them to send me a message. Which they then did.

The third and final explanation is that it was just a coincidence.

Many years ago I had an interaction with a street magician. Some friends and I were walking along a busy street on our way somewhere, when this magician picked me as his target. He did a few little tricks which were fun to watch but then he did something that absolutely blew my mind.

He was smoking a cigarette. He came and stood very close to me and balled up one hand. With the cigarette poking out the corner of his mouth, he proceeded to stuff the fabric of my shirt into the hole created by his fist. He made a little well in the centre, and then reached for the cigarette. To say I was nervous was an understatement. I had worked out what came next, and the shirt I was wearing was made by my mother. I really didn’t want any harm to come to it.

He took the lit cigarette and pushed it firmly into the well in his fist that contained the fabric of my shirt. The crowd that had now gathered around cheered once he had slowly pulled the fabric of my shirt out of the hole in his fist, and not only was there no burn marks in the material, but there was also no sign of the cigarette at all. Then came the prestige. He opened his fist and held the extinguished cigarette butt in his hand. Somehow it had appeared to pass through the fabric of the shirt without damaging it in any way whatsoever.

Where the crowd had cheered at the turn, now there was only stunned disbelief.

Logically, I know that this magic trick was entirely sleight of hand. A skilful performer who was practiced in his craft manipulated the expectations of his audience. But, it felt magical. My mind can give as many explanations as it wants for what happened, but my body experienced this event as pure magic.

So was it a coincidence that my friend messaged me while I was thinking of them?

My mind is trying to spin it that way, but my body is having absolutely none of that.

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This week I also gave away this original collage piece to a member of my mailing list. If you would like to join the mailing list and possibly be in line for future giveaways, click this here link.

http://www.joellambeth.com/subscribe/

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A selection of this week’s listening

Come Closer - TOMORA (2026)

I came across this album by accident and enjoyed it much more than I thought I would. Aurora on vocals and Tom Rowlands from The Chemical Brothers making all the noises. I got to the end of the album and went straight back to the start.

Division - Violent Vickie (2020)

There are probably two ways to look at this album. It’s either ‘eclectic’ or ‘confused’. Let’s take the more charitable route and go with the first one. From deep ethereal wave to the jagged edges of electroclash. Some great tracks if you can handle the whiplash of going from one to the next.

Girl’s Gang - Dina Summer (2025)

Disco and Goth should be natural enemies, but this album manages to broker a cessation of hostilities, if only for a short time. Really gets going toward the middle of the album with tracks like Zombie and, you guessed it, Disco Goth.

Honora - Flea (2026)

I can appreciate that it really is quite good, but it is not really my cup of tea. I listened to the cover of Glen Campbell’s Wichita Lineman with Nick Cave on vocals a couple of times, but the highlight is most likely the collaboration with his Atoms For Peace band mate Thom Yorke.

Acts of Rebellion - Ela Minus (2020)

This is an amazing album. Ela Minus is completely new to my ears, and this album in particular is now on high rotation. I’m not even entirely sure what to call it. Protest dance music? There are bits that remind me of Fischerspooner, if that helps orient your internal compass.