Magicians today are a far cry from their ancient predecessors. Instead of pulling rabbits out of hats, the magi were guardians of Egyptian kings. Throughout the ages, magic and the magician has evolved greatly and today’s illusionist is more of a celebrity than a mystic. In this article, we’ll meet the masters of sleight of hand who have laid the foundation for today’s renewed interest in the unknown.

Jean Eugene Robert-Houdin, who opened an illusion theater in Paris in the 1840s, is believed to be the father of the modern magician. Modern entertainment magic owes much of its origins to him.

In the 1900s, he was followed by the greatest celebrity magician of all time, Harry Houdini. Houdini’s real name was Ehrich Weiss and he took his stage name from Robert-Houdin,

He developed a range of stage illusion tricks, many of which were based on escapology. In addition to expanding the range of illusion hardware, showmanship and deceptive technique, these performers established the modern relationship between the performer and the audience.

Magic is a performing art that entertains an audience by creating illusions of impossible or or supernatural feats using purely natural means. These feats are called magic tricks, effects or illusions. The most important tool for any magician is his audience.

To believe that what they are seeing really is an illusion, the gathering must be willing to suspend their disbelief. Traditionally, he refuses to reveal his secrets to the audience so as not to expose the art form and preserve the livelihood of magicians who perform for money. This is such a common practice that there is even a magician’s oath.

Magic has come and gone in fashion and a select group of successful magicians have become some of the most famous celebrities in popular entertainment. Doug Henning’s show restored magic as a form of mass entertainment with his distinctive look and exuberant showmanship. Since then, he has been succeeded by the likes of David Copperfield, Penn and Teller, Zeigfried and Roy, and Criss Angel.

In ancient Egypt, wands were among the various articles left in Pharaoh’s tombs along with articles of personal use, weapons, amulets and magic texts. The wand was supposed to allow the soul of the Pharaoh to use all these articles. Moses is believed to have carried a hazel wand. In wall murals of the third and fourth centuries, representations of magic wands are found.

In some branches of magic, wands are used for the channeling of energy. Though wands are generally crafted out of wood or metal, crystal is also used for making them. A branch of oak, hazel or other trees is pruned and then carved or decorated to create a wand that suits the magician. Nowadays, readymade wands are also available and can be purchased from several stores or even over the Internet.

Works of fiction and fantasy have given magic wands the popularity that they are enjoying now. Wands are represented as spell-casting magical rods with the ability to change destiny by performing miracles. Fairy godmothers and witches are generally shown as carrying wands with a shining star or point on its tip. Most of us are familiar with the depiction of Cinderella’s fairy godmother’s wand and all that it did. Wands are also portrayed as weapons used in magical duels.

In the fantasy world of Harry Potter, a wand helps the wizard or witch to focus their energies and perform spells. Wands are generally required for most spells though it is possible to perform spells without them. Each wand is said to be unique and different from other wands. They are available in many varieties, being made of different woods, such as holly, willow, rosewood or oak and having different magical cores such as phoenix feather, unicorn hair or dragon heartstring.