How Does David Blaine Levitate? Do You Know?

Originally posted by BlackGuardXIII
Well then Copperfield has some really long toes, cuz I saw him fly around the inside of a hockey arena with a few thousand other people. And Chris Angel lifts a good six feet off the ground more than once in plain view of numerous bystanders in Las Vegas. And these bystanders are on every side of him, watching from all angles. Thats quite a trick.

you're right, it is 'quite a trick' and it's all part of a show!

you say david copperfield can fly around a hockey arena, yet he also walked through the wall of china as one of his illusions, it doesn't mean he actually did. so his walking through the wall of china and statue of liberty illusions aren't real...but his levitation and flying is...hmmmmmm.

just because people say it happened or think it happened or people were all around on all sides...doesn't make the trick any harder to do. if anything it makes it better, because it makes chumps like you think it's real.

go to india you can see hundreds of people making ropes go in the air and have kids climb up them. people all around, all sides, and all viewpoints taken, yet these ropes are turning in to rock and kids are climbing up them...wow these people must have supernatural powers and be able to defy gravity (*note the sarcasm).

the title of this thread is 'how does david blaine levitate?' and i've explained how he has done it, and all people on here have said, ''yeah but people actually saw him do it live'', which isn't the point of this thread. you wanted to know 'how' he does it, not how many people have seen him do it, or think he really does it.

and just because there's some guy that does it in las vegas, and david copperfield does it in a hockey arena...doesn't make it anymore true. if anything that guy doing it in vegas is just lame...he's just after money and popularity and is getting it by pretending to levitate...and people actually believing it!

[edit on 31-7-2005 by shaunybaby]

I respect your opinion and conclusions and hope that the same respect is felt towards my beliefs. I happen to be someone who is convinced that there are things that happen all the time that are extremely difficult, if not impossible for our present scientific community to explain, and the three David Copperfield shows I attended were a part of the reason for what I now believe, but they were only a part of it. And my true convincing came at the age of 39, although I always believed somewhat since eight years old. Dozens of unaccountable, logic defying events in my life finally made me pay attention. I do not feel any animosity to people like Carl Sagan, or atheists, or the skeptics. I just differ. I bet if I had lived your life and you had lived mine we would both believe the opposite and I would be promoting the belief that there is no magic. I use that word for lack of a better one. It would be better to call it 'the force', but then I picture Luke Skywalker, so thats out. I call it Spirit. And I believe we have souls, and they are all linked together by this force, we are all family. And I firmly believe that atheists are not wrong. Honestly I do, read my sig if you doubt me. Different perspectives result in different realities, both are real, both are valid, both are true, yet they differ.... I find that there are few people who share my worldview, which does get lonely at times, but there are some who do, and I am grateful for that. Practicing levitation dates back centuries, and there was a famous church leader in Europe who did it in front of tens of thousands of pilgrims, who all saw it. I was it in person too, but that is unimportant in a way, it is only a factor in confirming to me that the Great Wall Of China passage, etc. were not camera tricks, which I suspected anyway. Criss Angel does levitation six feet in the air out on the streets of Las Vegas, and anyone who happens to be nearby would tell you what they saw. I have considered mass hypnosis, super technology, etc. but they don't explain the phenomena as well for me.
One thing that I find curious is that people who are staunchly skeptical about these things will tell me they have never seen a miracle. I only find that odd cuz I have seen so many, and I wonder why that is sometimes.
Its all good, though, even the roastings I have had to live with from the folks that 'know' I am either delusional, or a liar. Since I am confident that I am neither, they no longer make me feel the need to convince them. Well, maybe a bit, or I wouldn't be writing so much about it. It is kinda important to my life as of late, though. I am a believer, but I also believe in all good people, no matter their beliefs, affiliations and faiths.

You called me a chump. well........FQ. I am far more intelligent than you, kiddo, for whatever that is worth, which is very little in my view. But, still, I am. But more importantly, I did not call you down, and act like I am right and you are wrong, and insult you. That is not a very adult way of interacting, and reminds me of the quote, "Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength." You were rude. I do not appreciate it, but hey, it is not my problem....it has zip to do with me.
I am very well educated, and have been tested and rated by our educational system as being very 'gifted' (their word) intellectually. But I am far more impressed with my heart, and my heart is far more important to me than my intellect. Hitler, or Mother Teresa? I despise that intellectual genius Hitler, and could not care less what Saint Mother Teresa's IQ was, cuz it had eff all to do with success in her life, her life was 100 % heart. I deplore your insulting of me, the act, but I respect you, you are okay by me, but that 'chump' diss was not my cup o' tea.

I hope you all know it's illusions right, and the people who do them openly say it's illusions. They just don't tell you how they do it.

If it was real magic, then those magicans would probally get a lot more attention.

'chump' wasn't supposed to be offensive. look up chump and you'll find it can also mean 'dupe', which means 'one that is easily deceived'. sorry if it came across that way.

the 'not knowing' how a magician does a trick is most of the excitement. even a small trick from pulling a coin or sweet from a four year old's ear...when you're four you think 'omg, where did that come from'. i know now that coins and sweets did not come out of my ears...just sleight of hand. the same as we know that david copperfield didn't 'really' walk through the wall of china, and he didn't literally make the statue of liberty dissapear. so these are all sleight of hand tricks and illusions, yet when it comes to any levitation or flying trick...why are these real, when the rest of the tricks are illusions?

Originally posted by BlackGuardXIII
I am far more intelligent than you, kiddo, for whatever that is worth, which is very little in my view.

39 years old and you're more intelligent than an 18 year old...gee you must be proud (*note the sarcasm).

i think the fact that you say you are, not in you're own words, 'a genius', yet you are easily decieved when it comes to these flying and levitation tricks, obviously shows that you are not as intelligent as you first claimed.

those people are all illusionists and by definition means 'art of deception'.

I am a chump I guess then, cuz I am easily deceived. By liars. I trust. And some people think it is a great feat to be able to lie. it is not. Lying and deception are easy. Trusting is hard, believing is hard, faith is hard. Pulling a fast one, or tricking someone is easy, but I just do not believe that when I saw Copperfield pick up a woman and fly around the arena, that he was 'tricking' me. Maybe he was, I just tend to believe what I saw. Same goes for the wall of china, and Criss Angel levitating six feet off the ground at will, apparently. He does it over and over, in all different places, people on every side, six feet. He is not standing on his tiptoes, and unless he has a skyhook, or a windcinch, he has found a way to harness and focus an energy source that most of us are unaware of. Gravity, magnetism, and electricity used to be considered magic, same thing. imho.

David Blaine is cool, but Kriss angel... that one rocks ...

Kriss angel levitates alot higher too (or should i say, has better special effects or whatver that may be )

Originally posted by Paul_Richard
The poster that saw David Blaine levitate LIVE with both his feet off the ground is an example of empirical evidence. Camera tricks are irrelevant to eyewitness testimony from only a few feet away.

Get your head out of the sand, reject your bias, and do some objective research on the subject.

I thought it was david copperfield the poster had seen live?.

It is a minor detail, and doesn't change the poster who said it was Blaine's point at all. It is a very good point. The 'special effects', 'camera angle', etc. guesswork and totally unsupported conjecture that is easily proved false by studying the video records and taking statements from eyewitnesses. They are right there, even touching Criss Angel they are so close.... and they somehow missed the hidden platform, or fishline that goes up to the invisible helicopter above him. These people who are there deserve a little credibility, or at least I give them some, but of course I am a dupe, a chump, easily deceived. No argument there. But I have seen copperfield three times, and once was in row 7 near the center... not 20 feet away, and at times not two feet away... and there were no little wires or giant magnets, or mirrors. I know that sleight of hand is an art, and it is very clever, I know mirrors can be used to trick an audience, etc. I know that. There are many hoaxers out there, many liars. That changes nothing.'
Criss Angel says, its all in the belief. one way or another he is right.

Well Criss Angel calls his show "Mind Freak", and btw he has a weekly show on TV now...so maybe the name "Mind Freak" should gives us a clue that these guys are profeesionals, masters in playing with our minds... and im always amazed by them.

I once saw David Copperfeild Live, but i was dissapointed becaseu most of his tricks were pre-recorded and passed on a giant screen... so..... there wasnt much magic there ...

My conclusion as to why 'Mind Freak' was very strongly that it was autobiographical. He is a Mind Freak. He does things that no one else can do. So, when someone sees it from 2 feet away, in a park, under a clear blue sky, with people all around him, they look at him like he's a freak. Just like they look at anyone who believes it is not all smoke and mirrors, like they look at me. It is not fun. I bet that is the worst part of his job, the constant screams of horrified witnesses, the looks of horror that are directed at him. I don't believe that Criss Angel played with my mind, through a tv set, from a video, recorded weeks earlier. And I don't believe that Copperfield did either, other than to freak me out. It is freaky up close. When there is no long sleeves, no mirrors, no fishlines, etc. If it is mass hypnosis, then it works from videotapes that are years old, which I doubt. But hey, its all good. Differences are diversity, which is beautiful, and necessary. If we all agreed, no one would have anything to talk about.

LOL... that is true ... world would be pretty boring if everyone agreed, and i actually agree with you about Criss feeling that people look at him as a a freak. He looks alitle "vampiric"...lol... anyway whatever his intetions or feelings were behind "Mind Freak" i totally enjoy his shows, he blows my mind away... David Blaine does a similar effect but more realx...not so intens i guess... maybe becasue his style is different...

Imagine being 13 and levitating your mom at home, like the picture Criss Angel showed on tv of him doing that. Imagine its not all trickery, unless secrecy is equated with trickery, because it may be the case that these guys could share how to do it........if they chose to, but aren't. I don't know.

But, I see all three of those magicians as sharing similar eyes. When I shook Copperfields hand after the first show, and looked him in the eye, I saw power. I know what I mean, but it is hard to describe. I see that in Blaines and Angels eyes. and my fiances eyes....who by the way doesn't believe in any magic etc., but I look at eyes a lot. I like them, and they tell me lots about people, on a empathic level more than an analytical one. And those three magicians, imho, have scary eyes. Not necessarily scary bad..........just scary. They seem nice enough.

I think i know what you mean... and coincidence or not all tree of them have very dark color eyes... that seems to draw in even more power... their eyes are intense... like X-rays machines... but not in a evil, scary way... its just they seemd more intense than "regular" people...

Originally posted by shaunybaby

the 'not knowing' how a magician does a trick is most of the excitement. even a small trick from pulling a coin or sweet from a four year old's ear...when you're four you think 'omg, where did that come from'. i know now that coins and sweets did not come out of my ears...just sleight of hand. the same as we know that david copperfield didn't 'really' walk through the wall of china, and he didn't literally make the statue of liberty dissapear. so these are all sleight of hand tricks and illusions, yet when it comes to any levitation or flying trick...why are these real, when the rest of the tricks are illusions?

Excellent point! I couldn't agree with you more and I am glad you are one of the few who has not been fooled by these tricks.

Originally posted by shaunybaby

i think the fact that you say you are, not in you're own words, 'a genius', yet you are easily decieved when it comes to these flying and levitation tricks, obviously shows that you are not as intelligent as you first claimed.

HAHAHAHA.

Okay, seriously Paul_Richard, this is becoming sooooooo much of a stretch. Your arguments are becoming really weak, i mean come on. You figure that since the older generation of magacians 'might' be aware of this trick, then they should be making street magic video's.

David Blaine was at the right place at the right time and met the right people to get that TV deal. I mean, if we used your logic, then the motorcycle building crew from American Chopper are the only good motor cycle fabricators on the planet because they are some of the few that have a television show. But that is absurd of course! Circumstances led to their discovery from some TV producer and they got a deal. I mean, they are extremelly talented fabricators, but that doesnt mean there arent others throughout Northern America. I mean, after seeing that link i posted where that magician floats in the air isnt evidence enough that this is simply a trick. Or the fact that in David Blaine's book you can find the secret to his tricks! And by the way, David Copperfield doesn't title himself as a telekinetic, he refers to himself as an illusionist. Maybe you should look this term up.

I may not be smart, but I am a heck of a lot smarter than you. I believe in magic, you don't. You think I am a fool, I am offended but respect your right to think that. But intellectually, I am smarter than you, so if I am stupid...... Anyway, its heart. ya gotta have heart. Love and acceptance for those who we differ with, not arrogant derisive laughter. To me that is elementary schoolyard stuff. Bullying the sensitive smart kid. Some of those sensitive smart kids dont lie down though. Jesus probably would but for the most part I fight back. You feel I am a fool, well I think that the belief and assertion that you 'know' for sure that I have not seen the many things I say I have is foolish, very foolish, and also a bit mean spirited. but whatever, its your life. Thankfully I do not find the mocking of others for their beliefs amusing, or smart.

I am sorry if you feel I have offended you, but I just thought that Shaunybaby’s remark was very witty so I apologize if your feelings were hurt. Having said that, if you want to start pointed fingers at me because I found that remark witty, then maybe you should look at some of your posts.

Originally posted by BlackGuardXIII

You called me a chump. well........FQ. I am far more intelligent than you, kiddo, for whatever that is worth, which is very little in my view.

So first of all, you completely misconstrued the usage of the word chump and told Shaunybaby to ‘F’ off and then you tried to demean his intelligence by saying that you are smarter then him. So……….wait, what was it that you said to me?

Originally posted by BlackGuardXIII
Thankfully I do not find the mocking of others for their beliefs amusing, or smart.

Hmmmm. Thats interesting.

And by the way, it’s a pretty ridiculous thing to say that you are smarter then me or anyone else, considering you know absolutely nothing about us ( not to mention extremely narcissistic. )

[edit on 31-7-2005 by James_Moriarty]

I have already apologized for lashing out, and no I did not misconstrue anything, chump is a diss. What do you think it is, a complement? It was wrong for me to be rude, and that is why I said sorry. But FQ is not an insult, it is a rude way of telling someone that you really didn't like their behaviour. I am quite conscientious about separating actions from people. I don't like your insinuations that really have little to do with you anyway, but I don't think that is worthy of namecalling. Personal attacks are the desperate last resort when logical, reasonable discourse becomes beyond ones ability to continue. I don't appreciate being the subject of schoolyard namecalling, and I will be sure to make that clear. Sometimes in a way that is not quite saintly, admittedly. I don't mind being told to f off nearly as much as being slandered, libelled, insulted, or dissed. So feel free to tell me to f off as often as you like. When I disagree with someone, I know I could be wrong. I also know that the other person could be wrong too, which some seem to forget.

And by the way, it’s a pretty ridiculous thing to say that you are smarter then me or anyone else, considering you know absolutely nothing about us ( not to mention extremely narcissistic. )

[edit on 31-7-2005 by James_Moriarty]

Well, I just think that my claim is a safe bet. As I was sure to make clear, I do not think that being of high intellect makes someone a better person, so although it may seem that I think I am all that, I don't. I am no better, nor worse a person than you, or anyone, but my statement that I am smarter is a bet that bookies would love. At least according to the results of the tests that our institutions of education found. Who knows, maybe you are one of the 5 in a 1000 that they figured are higher in intellect than me, but a 99.4% chance of being right is a pretty safe bet in my estimation.
Besides, who cares? So what if I am smarter? Or you are? It holds little value to me, as I clearly said, and have now repeated twice. It is like saying that I bet Tiger Woods is a better golfer than most anyone, though he is an extreme example, more likely to be something like 99.9999% sure.
But nothing is absolutely for sure. Maybe the Christians are right, and I am on my way to hell, maybe the atheists are right and the miracles and magic I have witnessed were tricks. Nothing is for sure, but that does not change the odds.

the point is no one here can proove either way, so why dont we just get along ? There is no need to mock others just because their differ... noone here can proove if its levitation or a trick, so lets just present our opinions and move on in PEACE, ther is too much garbage around oin the world, so why not make the few litle places we can (like this one ) a litle more Peaceful, huh ?

I mean there are people that actually think John Kerry was "hero",soooo....lets just all "live and let believe"