The Magician’s Oath
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.Who May Attend?
All serious students of magic are welcome to attend up to 3 meetings after which we expect you to join the club. There is no cost to attend 3 regular meetings prior to joining. Special meetings (e.g. lectures, shows or banquets) may incur additional charges.Where are the meetings held?
In-person meetings are held at our normal location in San Jose unless otherwise noted: Yu-Ai Kai Community Center at 588 North 4th Street, San Jose, CA 95112.Online meetings are held on the Zoom platform.
How Do I Join? What does it Cost?
IMPORTANT NOTE:
In the COVID era, we are only having virtual meetings. The rules below are being paused for now. If you want to join, please contact president@ring216.org for further details.
To join the club, you must:
- Have a sincere interest in the performance, history and/or collection of magic and magic effects
- Attend 3 meetings
- Perform or lecture at least once per year when possible
We also encourage you to join the International Brotherhood of Magicians at www.magician.org.
What Happens with the Dues?
We use the dues collected to hire professional lecturers, pay for supplies related to the club, rent rooms for special events, and so on. Normally those who are members of the club enjoy discounted (sometimes FREE) entrance to lectures.Who Are the Professional Lecturers? How Often?
We have had the following in the last several years: Jay Sankey, Carisa Hendrix, Gregory Wilson, Jason Ladanye, John Lovick, Garrett Thomas, and many more! Normally we sponsor from 3 to 5 outside lecturers per year.Is this a Secret Society?
No! But we do keep secrets! We take an oath to not reveal secrets needlessly.What Is A Typical Meeting Like?
NOTE: In the COVID era, there is no typical meeting. But when we are able to meet in person, here is how some meetings go:
- Meetings begin at 7:30 PM, and generally end by 10:00 PM.
- There are generally from 35 to 65 people present - more at special events. Ages are from 12 years old through advanced age. Most members are men.
- Part of a meeting may be dedicated to a teaching session on some aspect of magic (e.g. a card trick, technique, or tip on creating a show).
- Part of the meeting is used to conduct business - that is let the people know about club status, upcoming events, and allow the members to share information about resources and events of general interest to the club.
- In some meetings, we provide a sign-up sheet for those who volunteer to perform. Performing is not required, although if you desire to join IBM and the Ring 216 we do expect you to demonstrate some skill and knowledge of magic.
- Generally there is a theme for the meeting but it is NOT necessary to perform an effect that is in keeping with the theme. On some nights we feature competitions for which an award is given.
- After the performances we sometimes have a formal teaching session. The topic is usually related to the theme of the meeting.
- Next we have an informal sharing time until 10:00 PM. You may learn how to do a fancy card flourish, teach others a new effect, solicit feedback on the routine you have performed or are working on, or just catch up with the friendly folks there.
- After the formal meeting quite a few folks are in the habit of convening at a local restaurant for dinner/dessert and continued sharing.
