How to stay ethical while evoking mystery
Because nothing says Oops, like accidentally starting a cult!
Cue spooky lighting, eerie music and a guy in a velvet waistcoat speaking about things he shouldn’t know.
Now pause and ask yourself this:
Are you giving them goosebumps or trying to convince them to join a cult? Because that mysterious, wobbly line between entertainment and exploitation is thinner than a tarot card dipped in ectoplasm!
Today, we’ll look at how we can still be mysterious without accidentally becoming Aunty Val’s 3rd favourite clairvoyant.
The ethical time bomb
Mentalism is beautiful, it’s full of wonder, it’s weird and it’s also very powerful. You can change the way someone thinks about reality with a mysterious look, a pause or a card inside a wallet but here’s the thing that you need to keep in mind:
If you don’t define the game, you might start playing someone else’s and in that game, if you cross the line from a mindreader to an intuitive advisor, you could find yourself:
Trying to comfort to someone in grief!
Trying to guide a person through trauma!
Selling the idea that you really do talk to ghosts!
Well, I Never Said I Was Psychic!
No, you didn’t but you winked then paused, looked at your audience meaningfully and said:
I work with energy…
You call yourself a Metaphysical Dr on your website and charge £97 for a soul healing session. You didn’t need to say it because you implied it and when people want to believe, they will.
Even if your tricks are wrapped in 6 layers of disclaimers, duct tape and irony.
We all want to be mysterious with strange powers, which is fine just as long as you anchor your mystery in ethics. Otherwise there could be real dangers to evoking that mystery.
Vulnerable people could believe you’re special
Not stage special… Cosmic special. They might think you’re a guide or a healer and they might trust you with things they shouldn’t and then you become a false prophet with a billet.
People could make big life decisions based on what you say
They might break up with their partner because you said that you sensed something wrong, this is when it stops being a performance and becomes more like life coaching without the necessary qualifications or tools needed to deal with it.
You might lose the plot
You might start believing your own scripts.
I am intuitive. I just know things! My dreams are trying to give me messages from beyond.
Listen: Your dreams are mostly about burnt pizza!
I know that’s a lot of maybes but trust me, the last thing you want is people hunting you down so they can talk to their dearly departed pet rabbit. So let’s look at how you can stay ethical and still be an enchanting mystery performer.
Use artistic framing, not spiritual language.
Say something like:
This is a theatrical exploration of perception, belief and intuition.
Never say:
I’m tuned into your energy and your dead cat wants to say hi!
Use mystery as the atmosphere not the cover story
Your audience doesn’t need a full TED Talk about scepticism but they do need clues that what’s happening is an illusion.
Say things like:
Some say it’s intuition, others say it’s psychology but I prefer to call it theatre. You don’t have to believe in what I’m doing but it works better if you just pretend.
Make them wonder, not worship.
Avoid giving life advice… Seriously!
Don’t play therapist, counsellor or spiritual guru.
If someone wants guidance, direct them to real professionals.
What you do is an art… Not intervention.
Don’t sell belief as a product
Psychic readings framed as entertainment, walk a tightrope.
Be clear about what they are, say they’re metaphorical, say they’re symbolic but don’t suggest they’re accurate messages from The Oddsock Oracle™
If you’re selling readings online, label them as entertainment.
Mystical themed entertainment… No actual spirits included.
Audit yourself regularly
Ask yourself, am I encouraging belief or wonder?
Am I helping my audience to imagine or leading them to conclusions? Am I exploiting pain for applause?
Check your ego at the door. We should be creating awe, not controlling people’s free will. Ethical mystery should feel like an old magician telling you stories by candlelight, a dream that you can only half remember or a trick that makes you say:
Wait… What if?
It shouldn’t feel like a man wrapped in a tablecloth saying your aura’s been corrupted by a Mercury retrograde and charging £50 for a spiritual upgrade.
The most amazing thing you can give an audience is:
I fooled you completely and you know it but you don’t know how.
That moment is where ethics and enchantment shake hands.
No lies or delusions, just a crafted experience that feels real enough to dream about, without demanding belief to enjoy it.
Fragmented Thoughts
Be the mindreader, the jester and the entertainer but above everything else, be honest enough to let the mystery breathe and ethical enough to let people walk away with their minds intact. Not entangled in psychic lies.
Stay Weird
ЯYΛП MΣПƬIƧ
International Man of Mischief