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Hermes by Phedon Bilek - Book


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WHAT IS HERMES?
When it comes to mentalism routines, very few things come close to the impact and wonder that can be achieved via a two-person coding system. A well-executed two-person act will never fail to astound any audience and best of all, once learned, it is 100% prop-less and totally impromptu. So long as you can hear your partner, you are all set to blow your audience's minds any time, any place anywhere.

EASY TO LEARN AND MASTER
After recognizing the benefits of being able to perform such routines with his wife Flora, Phedon embarked upon a journey to find the ultimate system with two key criteria in mind. Owing to the fact that Flora is not> a mentalist, the system had to be very easy to learn, and secondly, the system had to be quick to commit to memory.

Those who are familiar with any of Phedon's prior releases will know that he strives for perfection in everything that he does. His routines not only look real, but they feel real too. Owing to his exacting standards Phedon was unable to find a system that fit his requirements and as such he decided to put his mind to creating his own.

It is important to recognize that 'Hermes' was not designed as a system that Phedon ever planned on releasing, instead, it was a system that he devised solely for his own personal use, one that would be quick to teach his wife and so easy to remember that it was almost impossible to forget.

The resulting system 'Hermes' is one that Phedon has meticulously refined via countless casual and professional performances over a period of several years. Of all the effects that Phedon has created, he cites 'Hermes' as the one that has established the strongest of reputations for both him and his wife.

In many respects, this system would have remained a personal secret had it not been for the briefest mention of it hidden within the footnotes of 'Orpheus' (which is expected to go to print in late 2023). It was only after his proofreader, Ian 'Rasp' Cheetham's interrogation that he was finally persuaded to reveal all.

Phedon is very careful to suggest that whilst this system will not allow you to replicate exactly what the Evasons do (ie. it is not a system that is designed to code anything), the limits of this system are really only set by the performer. The primary purpose of this system is to offer a wide array of possibilities whilst remaining easy to learn and master.

"Those that know me, know that I'm not a performer, and probably class me as an 'Armchair Mentalist However, I have for a number of years, been interested in two person codes (teaming up with my very close friend, Michael Murray, and raising a few eyebrows and laughs in the process and also held a desire to be able to give readings. But, the lack of confidence and fear of failure always held me back.Recently, I have felt a 'shift' within me, an excitement, as though an accelerant has been poured on burning embers. A feeling of....JUST DO IT!! This 'shift stems from Phedon introducing me to Hermes. A system designed around his lovely wife, Flora, a non-performer...not even an 'Armchair Mentalist!Hermes, is a simple and logical system. A two person code. Simple, but...EFFECTIVE and POWERFUL!"
- lan 'Rasp' Cheetham

SO WHAT'S NEW?
Sure, within the pages of 'Hermes', you will learn how to code Numbers, Colours, Denomination Values, Types of Jewellery (and the materials they are made from), Birthdays, Countries/Destinations and more, but this isn't the main focus of the book.

What makes this system unique is the information that can be enciphered and sent with it. It is ultimately the psychic aspect that is the main focus of this book, and the section pertaining to 'Sending Questions and Concerns' is where the true value of this system shines through.

Consider this, with a simple, innocent sentence or question sent to your partner, she will be able to accurately determine your participant's concern, question or goal, and therefore she will be able to not only address the latter but also answer it in the most mystifying of ways. Best of all, this is equally as beautiful to experience as it is to watch.

As is a hallmark of Phedon's work, he not only teaches the system in full but goes even further to offer some priceless tips (for both the sender and the receiver) which have been hard earned through years of performing experience. The tips and advice offered within this book will not only help to prevent any miscommunication between the sender and receiver but more importantly, will ultimately result in demonstrations that both look and feel real!

"Wow, amazing stuff. Simple and effective coding system, but the gold is in sending concerns. That is phenomenal. I've never seen anything even close to that. That is the easiest cold read I've ever seen, and it perfectly describes ANY question thought of. Genius. As you perfectly show, just verbally deciphering the code is an effective reading. And, the best part is that I imagine this is the exact way real psychics would answer a question. They would get super specific feelings and answers without knowing precisely what the question is.

It also forces you to seem real as you give the reading. I can see in my head what it would look like as someone deciphered the CODE into a READING and it would look exactly like they were deciphering their FEELINGS into WORDS. It's really brilliant. I wish I could have seen you perform the code because I know I would be clueless, and if I saw the partner give a reading, I would never suspect that all of that information could be coded in a sentence."

- Madison Hagler

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5⭐️ again Report this review
Pro Privacy ON (login to see reviewer names) on July 23rd, 2023
(This review is for Hermes by Phedon Bilek - Book)
I bought this without giving it a second thought, the name 'Phedon' being bulletproof, and I am delighted. I have taught the system to my kids, it is that easy. I can send them dates, values, and even jewels and body parts. They still need to work on materials, colors, etc lol let alone concerns.

The book is, as always, beautifully written, and Phedon leaves no stone unturned. I love the multiple examples he gives to illustrate each section and the 'training wheels' section was such a great idea. The Act at the end is nothing short of superb and it is so easy it is genius.

If you are already using a system, you will still find applications worth the purchase. Coding concerns is out of this world and if you want to do that, I mean code concerns, then this is a mustbuy, definitely. This alone is worth the price of the book. I will not use this application, but the only reason is that I do not have a partner for this. I do not see my kids giving psychic answers lol

All in all, this does exactly what it says. To me, a solid 5⭐️as always with the Greek mentalist.
2 of 2 magicians found this helpful.
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Simple AND Deceptive! Report this review
Pro Privacy ON (login to see reviewer names) on July 23rd, 2023
(This review is for Hermes by Phedon Bilek - Book)
You cannot go wrong with any of Phedon’s works! Hermes brings a solid, simple, and deceptive way of sending secret codes to your assistant. It really does sound like normal conversation (but as with all things you have to practice and make sure your words don’t SOUND fishy, as in your inflection and the way you talk, that’s on you). Now for the question, is it worth $70?? YES! Honestly, he could have charged $100 or more for this. I bought this book before it was available on Penguin. There is soooo much material/ideas and things to build on in the book once you get down the basics of the code! Numbers, dates of birth, items (rings, necklaces, watches, etc.) AND where they are located on the body, what the items are made out of (that’s not even everything!). My Fiancée and I have been practicing and will be doing this for folks very soon. We have already done it on some family members and they were blown away! As Phedon urges in a lot of his works, again, be sure to practice, practice, practice! Give it the time and practice it deserves and you will NOT be disappointed! Enjoy!
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Finally cracked the code for my wife & I! Report this review
Pro Privacy ON (login to see reviewer names) on February 6th, 2024
(This review is for Hermes by Phedon Bilek - Book)
Hermes is a fantastic & very approachable code act & system! I highly recommend it, a 10/10. I'm pretty verbose so that's the synopsis up front!

My wife & I had previously practiced Speakeasy by Dan Harlan. And we had some success there! In casual environments we were comfortable enough to code a coin or bill's denomination and then the date, all seemingly hands off. It worked, but was really mentally taxing & we never quite felt comfortable enough to go further or deploy it professionally. The large leeway and freeform nature of Speakeasy originally appealed to us but ultimately was too much freedom & too little guidance; we floundered. This isn't an indictment of Speakeasy, but just an example of how other code acts like it hadn't clicked for us.

Enter Hermes!

I am, admittedly, a big fan of Phedon's previous work. I love Orion & Sibyl. I routinely perform effects from them or use tools found within. When I saw he was publishing a Code Act I was excited!

My wife a little less so, as she was nervous about how much practice & brain-work Speakeasy took AND we both admitted Speakeasy was pretty simple mechanically. How could this be better?

Well, Hermes really opened our eyes that the free form choices of some other codes were actually too mentally taxing.

Then Phedon spends the rest of the book comfortably adding layer up on layer to what you can divine from the very short and simple code words you have memorized. Essentially paring situations, body parts, colors, materials, and even complex questions to basic single or double-digit numbers. To expand upon them does require more practice between your partner and yourself as it will need more context and routining to know when the number 4 is a 4 and when it is a body part or emotion. To this end there is a full annotated presentation in the back of the book which helps really codify (ha ha) how one can script and structure a routine! It's a very good and inspiring presentation I must say!

There are of course cons with this system, as with any trick:
1. The system is remarkably simple & deceptively robust, BUT because it is a limited number of code words you cannot likely repeat this for the same audience in short order or have an exceptionally long show without either expanding the system or adding in other methods/scripting to lengthen it. Spectators would notice, I think, the repeated words; even though they are very common.
2. This code act is so simple & powerful that my non-professional performer wife was able to learn it & bring down the house for a recent gig, BUT I already know that some of the more juicy revelations and concepts taught in this book might be simple to understand but hard to pull off for someone who isn't a professional mentalist. For instance, there is an incredible and genius section on essentially Q+A style reveals which I know my partner could receive via code but it would require her to deliver a convincing warm-ish reading based on very limited information. That's beyond her comfort level & desire. So the con is that the system is super easy but the skills required for some of the most impressive reveals might outstretch your partners patience or abilities. Coding numbers, body parts, jewelry, bills, dates, etc are trivial though & of course amazing reveals in & of themselves.

To recap on the positives: The code truly is simple. It is taught incredibly well, with an emphasis on your partner not being a professional. Nothing is taken for granted! The routines and presentations presented are top notch & inspiring. This system is the one that finally clicked for us. A couple or partners looking to become a full-time code act could start here happily but would likely need to grow beyond this system eventually, but for people looking to deliver high impact albeit guided & in the 10-20 minute range performances I really don't think it gets better than this!

Once again, I highly recommend it! My recent gigs loved it & my local magician community is shocked at how much information it seems that I'm coding to my wife in such a short & natural time!
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