The New Oath of the Magician

[Houdini]

The Magician's Oath has been around for as long as Magic has been. The classic oath is as follows:

"As a Magician I promise never to reveal the secret of any illusion to a non-Magician, unless that one swears to uphold the Magician's Oath in turn. I promise never to perform any illusion for any non-Magician without first practicing the effect until I can perform it well enough to maintain the illusion of Magic."

We here at ExoMagic feel like the oath has served us Magicians well, but we also believe its a bit out of date. So we have rewritten the oath and made it into a "Proclamation" as well as an oath. This oath is one with a bit of art, flare, and addresses a few different areas that the old oath does not.

"I, (your full name here), swear in the presence of shadows, witnessed by my brothers of my art, do proclaim the following:

I consider my art dear to me as well as a part of me, just as my Teachers who taught me this art do and the Teachers have before them. I shall live in reverence of my teachers and bear respect for my fellow Magicians. I will follow them, for there is strength in numbers, as well as break away from them, to study my art, create unique art, and further Magic's study.

I will teach my art only to those who so have taken The Oath and agree to uphold the Oath and its secrets; without fee or written promise, once they have proven their respect and desire. Only then will I impart onto them the disciples, secrets, and skills needed to achieve their goals in Magic.

I will amaze according to my ability and my judgment and never do harm to anyone who bears witness to my shows.

To please no one, will I take advantage of my power, do harm, humiliate, disgrace, or demean my Spectators nor my fellow Magicians.

Nor will I give my life of secrets to those unworthy, for entertainment or recognition.

But I will preserve the purity of my Life and my Art.

I will not preach or make cult under my name, based on my illusions and effects.

I will practice my art to its fullest and further. My fingers will be worked to the bones and know the ways of performance, even in sleep. Only then will my art be ready for show to spectators.

In shall never force my art or the performance of my art onto unwilling witness.

The experiences of my art, that further my development, I shall feel obligated to share with my fellow Magicians. But knowledge I gain, that should not be spread abroad for whatever reason, I shall keep in the confines of my own being and not gloat of the secret.

If I keep this oath faithfully, may I enjoy my life and practice my art, respected by all my fellow Magicians, my brothers, for all times; but if I swerve from it or violate it, may the reverse be my lot.

By these words I speak, I uphold. And follow. "

As much as Magic is about amusing your audience and leaving them with a feeling of awe, Magic is also about you enjoying what you're doing. If a trick you're about to perform has been revealed to your audience, you'll find that the fun of the situation has all but disappeared. Recognizing the effects that revealing a trick can have on your performance and the performance of others should be enough to dissuade you from doing so. But if it isn't, keep in mind that many individuals perform Magic tricks for a living. This is why a Magician must never reveal to a lay person or spectator the inner workings of their Magic.

Magician's tend to distance themselves from other Magician's who have broken the Magician's Oath. And for good reason. But you must remember that fellow Magician's are the best source and only source to learn new tricks and help refine your skills, breaking the oath to spectators can be career or hobby suicide. Magician's who have entered the lime light to reveal secrets have been publicly outed in the past and now find themselves no longer active in the world of Magic.

Reading about the Magician's Oath on our website that provides help and instruction as well as sell supplies for Magic may seem odd to some "nay sayers," but the truth of it is that we're upholding the oath in our own part as well.

It has always been considered acceptable to provide a means to learn magic to those that have the desire to learn Magic. It has become harder and harder to come by a Magician who will invest the time to teach someone the trade, for pay or free, so turning to the internet, books, and DVDs has become the only available option for many.

One of the greatest things about Magic is that the possibilities are endless. Old tricks can always be changed around so that the revealed secret is no longer relevant and a new trick is born.

So from ExoMagic to you fellow Magician. Go out there and perform the amazing, and uphold the Oath of the Magician. Make us proud.

[Alex Hess]

I have said this oath out-loud. I will uphold this to its fullest extent.

~Exo

[Jacob Hatfield]

As did I,
I really enjoy the art of the Oath. I have a copy I have printed out and aged that I have signed and so forth.

I took SOME of the art language out so that it reads easier for some.

Glad you enjoyed it Alex.

[jl69187]

Very well written! I will uphold this oath!

[Jacob Hatfield]

Originally Posted by jl69187

Very well written! I will uphold this oath!

This is great to hear.

I am glad people are liking the oath.

Anything you would add or change?

-Jacob