I am an Illusionist; a practitioner of the art of Magic. Magic is an ancient art form that has been with us since the earliest recorded societies. Every wizard, mind-reader, fortune-teller, miracle-worker, medium, and psychic that you have ever heard of has been a practitioner of this art.
Magic is the art that seeks to make the impossible tangible and real through subtle use of deception and applied psychology. It is the use of the five senses to create the illusion of a sixth. It is an art that makes use of applied psychology, showmanship, hypnosis, neuro-linguistic programing, acting, sleight of hand, misdirection, non-verbal communication, and the power of suggestion.
Of course, there is nothing really supernatural about magic. The art is accomplished with very earthly means. Nevertheless, if supernatural powers did exist, the art of magic is the closest thing to how they would actually look. The art of magic gives the practitioner enormous power. Many of the most successful cult-leaders have been Illusionists and Mentalists who have turned to the dark side.
Over the years, a few bad apples in the mystic arts community have discovered that they can attain more wealth and fame by presenting their feats as actual demonstrations of supernatural ability. This is the dark side of my art. These charlatans use the magic skill set to lie and con others out of money and time. Some immoral practitioners, such as many famous television psychics and mediums, have attracted clients who literally go to these charlatans for ALL of their life problems. Illusionists are good entertainers, but we are NOT trained psychologists and should not be guiding others lives. As a performer of magic, I am appalled by these charlatans and strive to expose them whenever I encounter them.
Magic can be a very powerful art, so it must be done for entertainment. As an Illusionist, I am a performer and an entertainer; nothing more. I do not possess any supernatural powers, I am simply a showman. I do possess certain unique abilities, such as the ability to read body language, persuade, instill emotions, detect deception, induce hypnosis, and elicit certain responses. Nothing psychic or supernatural though.
We find ourselves in the 21st century and belief in psychic powers and supernatural phenomena are waning. All the better. We, as Illusionists, are not here to beat a dead horse and bring back belief in psi-powers. The new magic, 21st century magic, is magic adopted to the accepted beliefs of today. We rely on psychology, observation, intuition, and good-old-fashioned deception. This should not spoil magic as an art though. Indeed, it should only empower it. We Illusionists have always prided ourselves on creating the impossible. Now we can enhance this fundamental concept. We can stand up and say "yes, this IS impossible, AND I'm doing it right now!". While the psychics must claim that their abilities are possible, even universal, we Illusionists of the 21st century can take pride in the fact that we are using secret methods and little-known psychological subtleties to create the impossible!