James Divine: Here's my experience with slot machines.
James Divine: Okay. I am the luckiest person ever with slot machines. It's amazing my luck because I'll take a nickel and go up to a nickel slot machine. I'll put a nickel in, I'll pull the handle and I'll lose my nickel and I'll say That sucked. And I'll never play another slot machine. And that's how I am so lucky with slot machines.
Katie Rempe: I do recall someone telling us, oh, I believe it was the cab driver on her way in. The luckiest thing you can do gambling wise in Vegas is to not gamble at all in Vegas. And I said, sir, that is the opposite of the reason we're here.
Katie Rempe: But I do agree.
Light From Lantern presents: Knit A Spell.
I'm magical maker: Katie Rempe.
And I'm the maker of magic: James Divine.
Join us as we stitch together the symbiotic relationship between crafting and 'The Craft'.
James Divine: So was it fun to do this?
Katie Rempe: It was fun. It was a fun way to just decide what to do because there's so many of them. And like at a certain point you're like, is there really a difference? And if you don't know anything about slot machines or realize that there might be something to know about slot machines, then you know, why not just let the coin flip decide?
James Divine: Yeah. Did you get any like intuitive sense as you were playing?
Katie Rempe: Brianne mentions in last week's episode, where it seemed like we almost had better luck when we weren't being filmed because the pressure was off and there was no, need to perform anything or hope that you hit so that you had good content. And so I actually felt like I made better choices probably then because I was less limited by how we wanted to organize the content.
James Divine: Yeah. One of the things that I think is important to talk about, and I'm a little loath to talk about it because I don't want it to ruin our episode, but I think it's also let's blow this up a little bit.
James Divine: What we did in inadvertently is take a scientific approach to something that doesn't work in the scientific way. So magic and energy and psychic abilities doesn't work in the same way as reductionist science and the scientific method. They're both 100% valid and they both work, but they work in different ways.
James Divine: And so I think one of the things to point out is something that you've so astutely observed. You realize that when you weren't being filmed, when there wasn't the pressure, it seemed to work better.
James Divine: This is something that's really interesting. Science relies on an observer and repeatability and reliability in something that is observable by our five senses in 3D reality.
James Divine: And so that allows us to make things like how do electrons work and how do we have light bulbs and things that work in technology and in through 3D reality. And that's the arena where science works.
James Divine: Magic and psychic ability work in something outside of observable science and reductionist science. We don't yet understand where that works, although we're starting to in get a inkling of that in quantum physics. So this says that when we observe something, it has an impact on what we are doing.
James Divine: So the act of observation of our magical work or intention work has an impact on what we're doing. One of the cool things we've discovered in this experiment is putting it into an observable experiment has an impact on it. So you weren't necessarily testing just whether a coin flip works. You were also inadvertently testing the active observation of magic, and whether that has an impact on your magic.
Katie Rempe: Oh, Jim, yes. You're so right.
James Divine: Ooh, and so what did you learn from that? You just said it, right?
Katie Rempe: That's it. Yeah. When you're held to having less expectations, Then you let it happen more naturally, right? In ways that, duh, you don't expect because you don't know everything.
James Divine: This is why when we, when I teach magic and spell work and intention work, holding your intention lightly, letting go of your lust for results is really important.
James Divine: If you have a lust for results, I want to win, I want to hit that jackpot, I want to scratch off that lottery ticket. That is something that will move that away from you because that intensity of that lust for results will inadvertently create a push over mm-hmm.
James Divine: And being in the flow, it's a very hard thing to do because it requires you to be very happy with where you're at. It requires you to have amazing acceptance and love that creates an attraction for the things that come to you. Yes. And it may not be the Powerball.
James Divine: But it will be other things that are easier to achieve than the Powerball.
Katie Rempe: It's that balance of knowing what you want, but not, like you said, striving so desperately to get it.
Katie Rempe: And maybe that's like the word that the magnet flips and it's a repellent now as opposed to the attraction.
James Divine: You set up a whole attraction for luck and think about what you did create. You didn't have the security guard who was watching you on one of those actually approach you and bother you.
James Divine: You had good fortune throughout in being able to catch really great footage that's so colorful and really professional. There was luck and fortune in ways beyond just winning money.
Katie Rempe: So the test worked. We could do this again, and I would actually know how to film this in a way easier fashion so that the editing isn't such a mystery on the other side.
Katie Rempe: So now that you've seen the episode, Jim, tell us, what would you do different? Would you use a coin flip to do a slot? And if not would you do it differently?
James Divine: I would do it slightly differently. Okay. Do not be beholden to the coin flip. Don't let the coin flip tell you yes or no. Let the coin flip help you suss out your own intuition. Okay. Tell me more. So you go up to a machine. You look at the machine and you have a sense of do I wanna play this machine? You can't decide if I want to play this machine or not. I see. Flip a coin. The coin says no. You look at the machine and you have a sense of if I followed the coin, it would be no.
James Divine: Then you sense, but I really wanna play the machine. Play the machine. Oh, okay. The coin took it away from you, and your intuition is I wanna play it then play it. The coin says no, and you're like, no, that's the right decision. Then you confirmed your intuition and then that helps you understand and moves you away from indecision to helping hone your own intuition.
James Divine: That's how I like to use a coin flip. Yeah. Is to help, and you had alluded to this already. Rather than be beholden to the coin being the answer right. Have the coin help you discern what is your true will and desire.
Katie Rempe: But of course, yes. Isn't that the true nature of all of this?
Katie Rempe: Yes.
James Divine: Yeah. That's how we use a tool to help us understand ourselves. And so if I find a machine and I'm already like, I definitely wanna play that machine right there, I love it. But usually in Vegas there's three machines that are identical right next to each other. Or they're in a circle and there's 1, 2, 3, and they're all identical.
James Divine: And you're like, ah, shoot. Which one of these same machines is going to tell me? Maybe you're like,
James Divine: it's the one facing the entrance.
James Divine: It's the one facing the bathrooms.
James Divine: It's the one facing the cash box.
James Divine: And you'll be like, oh, I want the one facing the cashiers because I feel the way, or the one facing the bathroom.
James Divine: Because I feel like no one will play that. And that's the one, one facing the door because it has the most energy. You'll already know.
James Divine: Or maybe you won't know and you're like, this is the one that I sense and I'm gonna flip a coin to confirm or deny my own sort of thing. Yeah.
James Divine: So this is one of the ways to use that coin flip is to help you discern or help you suss out your own intuition rather than I just do what the coin tells me.
James Divine: I also love our observation about observation.
Katie Rempe: Yes. And again, maybe that was part of the reason that I was luckier before was because I was like, okay, this one, not oh, this one because it has the dollar thing that I can make sure it's all even because this is a scientific experiment.
Katie Rempe: Yes.
James Divine: Because when you're not being observed, then you're free to let your unconscious say I'm gonna hit this one more time. Or I need to put in another $5. There's probably a reason why you have an intuition to do that, even though it's not consistent across whatever.
James Divine: Because boom, there's the jackpot, or boom, there's the loss that has you then be pissed and have you walk and be like, I'm so freaking angry. And have you walk a different route back and then you see, the ticket on the ground that someone left. Or you see the one time I was in Vegas and there was a whole bucket of coins and it was like, wait, is this someone's, and I went up to the thing and they're like, it's, there's no way.
James Divine: It's now it's yours. That was back when there were silver coins. There's different ways, to , have luck in Vegas.
Katie Rempe: Speaking of , part of what I thought was very lucky in our Vegas experience was that Brianne booked us to go to the Zach Bagins Haunted House tour.
Katie Rempe: And if you don't know, Zach Bagins was the guy behind Ghost Adventures.
James Divine: Ghost Adventures, super popular, really amazing harassing, haunted ghost spirit.
Katie Rempe: He takes a, an approach to it that I don't love.
James Divine: People are super into his approach.
Katie Rempe: That is something I found out when I got there. Those people were not like me who was like, oh, I'm interested in this realm. I just wanna see this guy's approach. They were like, he is my approach.
James Divine: We would have a different approach and perhaps future episodes will talk all about, non-caporial spirits and how to work with them.
Katie Rempe: Yeah. So anyway, our first day we are at the Plaza and playing slots, probably Silver Strike. And this lady passes by in that t-shirt from this place. And I said, Hey, we're gonna go there later today. How did you like, it must be okay. You're wearing the shirt. And she goes, oh yeah, it was good. There were a couple of jump scares, and like a clown room, which was creepy.
Katie Rempe: But otherwise, it was interesting, whatever. And if you don't know me that well, Those are two things that I don't like to have surprised on me are jump scares at all. Hate that and clowns . So to have this wonderful, beautiful human be able to warn me ahead of time that this was going to happen to me was a gift.
Katie Rempe: It was so lucky because I would peed my pants and freaked out.
James Divine: The luck that you had that woman wearing that t-shirt and walking by you, the luck that you were there to film and to actually be.
James Divine: Extroverted and talked to people, imagine how you had set that luck up in so many ways beforehand with your candle, with your oils, with everything else. If you were just going to Vegas for Rob's birthday and to just have a good time, you would've never had even thought about that or anything.
James Divine: No. But this is part of that intention is in all ways there was so much fortune and luck that surrounded you.
Katie Rempe: Absolutely. We consistently had easy rides going places, and the flights were good. There were no, big surprises of any bad nature.
Katie Rempe: We just went with the flow and it was fun. It was a lucky trip.
Katie Rempe: What would you have done differently? How might you have tested some luck with gambling or that kind of a thing.
James Divine: I think you did the right thing with putting drops of oil in your hands.
James Divine: Then everyone else at the table, like engaging with the other people at the blackjack table and having fun that way. Yeah. Was also a really good thing. One of the practical ways to increase your luck is to meet new people and That's right. Bring some joy. So that is always a great thing, is laughter and positive energy increases your luck always.
James Divine: You were doing that along with a little bit of magic. So you were bringing light and love and levity and joy into that thing for not only for the players, but also for the dealer. Yep. And so that was something that was really fun.
James Divine: Now Rob chose not to take the, Luck oil, he was then playing the fall guy or the, the deadpan.
James Divine: It couldn't have been better. Like it wouldn't have worked as well.
James Divine: You had to have Rob be in that position to be like, I'm gonna not take it, just to see what happened. And so it was the best possible situation.
James Divine: You know how hard it is to get a blackjack. Yeah. , that doesn't happen when you don't get a blackjack. Like you can get 21, you can hit 20. 19 and do really well.
James Divine: But to get a blackjack to be paid one and a half times and to get blackjacks successively is pretty remarkable.
James Divine: And to have that play out in that way. And then the one person who didn't do that, to not get one sure says something that can happen, but also.dot do. And you didn't film it and so it wasn't observ. That's true scientifically.
James Divine: That's, it was just in the realm of having fun, trying something, having a lot of joy. Bringing all that engaging, yeah. Gauging. So you were really creating this wonderful environment. And even with Rob, of course we love Rob.
Katie Rempe: He won $500 on a blackjack that he got earlier, so he really was the big winner ultimately.
Katie Rempe: Yeah. This has just happened to be one very convenient example.
James Divine: And this was one of the times when he was actually probably facilitating the luck for everyone. That's true. So he has that way of being the foundation for everyone else to win. I've noticed that about him. When we go to karaoke, when we're going out to do things, Rob is that person who will be that magical foundation and he'll sometimes work magic in the background that he won't tell anyone about.
James Divine: Rob is someone who likes to smooth it, right? Yeah. Yep. Create this like environment and it's like, whenever I'm with Rob, things go well. Yeah. And I think that's a lot of Rob's kind of magic. And so I can see him being like, Nope, I don't need any.
James Divine: I already won big, I'm gonna let everyone else do it. What a generous thing to do. And so that was also part of that generosity that was created. What a fantastic, perfect table.
Katie Rempe: It really was the perfect experie experience.
James Divine: Not all of those are gonna go that way, but that's a great example of how to create luck, meet a new person.
James Divine: Create joy. Yep. Have fun. Don't try to contrive that by itself. Just have fun and go with it. Yeah. We can look back and see, gosh, these were the elements that really contributed to that, but you can't really create that and contrive that, but you can just have fun and create joy.
James Divine: And when you're in those situations, go with the flow and go with the wins and the losses and just mostly, yeah. Enjoy yourself with your good luck oil and your tools that you have, and have a blast.
James Divine: It's just a game. It's just a game.
James Divine: You're just playing with bio survival tokens that we call money. If we approach life, like life is just a game, it actually becomes a lot more fun and a lot less, significant. This is a way to really allow ourselves to chill and to have that idea of non-attachment and flow in our lives. And that lets things really go a lot better.
James Divine: That's why I love to go to Caesar's Palace in Vegas because there's a huge statue Fortuna. They're Greek deities. Even though they're fiberglass, it's still really cool to have those images there.
James Divine: And I love to leave little offerings and, touch the pedestal that those Greek Dees are on because, and Roman Dees also because it's great to have those there that have been revered for thousands of years. And to know that there's Fortuna looking out over the entire casino and I know how to leverage that energy.
James Divine: That Fortuna would bring and that Fortuna is like 30 feet tall or larger. If that's in your pantheon, it's a really fun thing, to do.
Katie Rempe: Jim makes this great point about Caesars.
Katie Rempe: My whole thing is like Egyptian culture . No wonder I'm like so drawn to the Luxor. It's a huge pyramid with a, beacon of light on the top and the inside is like insane. I have been to Vegas three times now. I have yet to make it over there, but I've got to
James Divine: It's falling apart and we'll probably have to be demolished at some point, but before they have to do that, go.
Katie Rempe: I'd like to get there before then.
James Divine: Staying in the Luxor and being in the Luxor is very cool. And it's got that very interesting, like only in Vegas type of experience and that's another thing to do is take advantage of engineering choices. on one half, but very cool metaphysical opportunity on another half. Yeah. And then get the hell out of Vegas and just go up north of Vegas to like Turtle Springs, fossil beds to Desert National Wildlife Refuge.
James Divine: Red Rock Canyon is outrageous. It is so beautiful and just a quick drive and
Katie Rempe: what a nice way to break up, like fake stuff with really real stuff.
James Divine: So you can do that and clear your mind, recenter on nature, on yourself, on the earth. Realize that it's all just a game and it's for entertainment and fun, and human beings created all this glitz and glamor and lights and then you can dive back in or fly home and yeah, and feel your luck.
Katie Rempe: There you go. Remember Pamela Chen said, she says she's grateful for her luck every day. I'm so lucky and I've been trying that too. And I must say, I think it works.
Katie Rempe: Let's take a quick break and when we come back we'll talk about all these slot superstitions.
Katie Rempe: We'll be right back.
Katie Rempe: Hey, Knit A Spell fans and our Patreon members. Here's a quick reminder to let you know that our March magic promotion is going to end on April 4th. But don't worry, even if you've just signed up, you can go ahead and participate in all five challenges right away. That means you'll be eligible for the grand prize, a 30 minute poem reading with Jim, even if you sign up.
Katie Rempe: Join us and learn more at patreon.com/lightfromlantern.
Katie Rempe: Jim, and I hope to see you there.
Katie Rempe: And we're back. Yay. So Jim, as part of the preparation to go to Vegas and win slots, I spent a lot of time researching slot superstitions.
James Divine: I had no idea. There are superstitions around slot machines. Yes. Okay, hit me. What's a superstition around slot machines?
Katie Rempe: After much research, here's a list of items that I thought were most interesting. Okay. Starting with the $50 bill.
Katie Rempe: Mm-hmm, don't use that. Bad luck. What?
James Divine: Wait slot machines. Take your fifties?
Katie Rempe: Slot machines will take any of your money. But this person that had this particular tip seem to be under the impression that the $50 bill in particular, bad luck.
Katie Rempe: But why?
James Divine: When Bugsy Siegel was killed, he had three 50 s in his pocket and that was the only cash he had on him. Is that what you read?
Katie Rempe: No, but that seems like as good a reason as any right.
James Divine: A $50 bill is deadly. True betters don't bet with them and don't want them in their payouts is one of the old school taboos.
James Divine: Whenever someone wins a 50, they leave the game immediately. Wow. It's a fairly obscure superstition. Yeah. And it's among American gamblers $50. Are considered, I'm lucky it is widespread on the internet.
Katie Rempe: If you have some insight, let me know. Oh. I also am reading yes because of the president, which is Ulysses S Grant, who went bankrupt before he died. So I guess there's a lot of like stuff around it that I guess is not good. Also fifties apparently were very prevalent with being counterfeit. So that's another reason.
Katie Rempe: $50 bills. Uhuh, I'll take a hundred.
James Divine: That's very interesting about the fifties. I know. I know someone who was a professional poker player in Vegas and he's also a magical person and I'm going to ask him about this.
Katie Rempe: Yeah. Ask him if he knows about the guy with the orange. What? There was an Asian poker player who swears by keeping a mandarin orange on the table with him and he smells it when he needs luck.
Katie Rempe: And I was like, oh, Mandarin is a luck kind of symbol. Yeah. And the smell is a high frequency thing.
James Divine: Orange is used in block remover.
James Divine: And so he's removing blocks. So that's a really interesting yeah, you'll have to report that. Alright. What's another superstition with slot machines?
Katie Rempe: How you treat it. So people think that it is sensitive to you either being nice to it. So talking kindly, caressing it, being nice generally. Versus people who swear by and Pamela Chen told us this two weeks ago.
Katie Rempe: Slapping it or kicking the machine or downright calling it rude names, giving it the business. That's also been told to be good luck. So interacting with the machine, giving it the business or talking nicely to it. I guess it just depends on your take.
James Divine: So either way, will coax a payout. Yep.
Katie Rempe: what do you think? Let us know in the comments.
James Divine: Okay. What about the machine talking back to you? So you said something about turning the volume Yes. Up, like on the self-check machine. Self-checkout. At the grocery store. Is that a thing that you, that is one of these superstitions?
Katie Rempe: Yes, indeed. Turn the volume all the way up for a full experience.
Katie Rempe: There are many people out there who are convinced that the higher you put the volume, the more invested you are in the game . And thus the machine knows , and it will pay you more . Be in it to win it. Yes, indeed.
Katie Rempe: Huh?
James Divine: All right. What's another.
Katie Rempe: Nobody was willing to confirm this, but I did ask a couple of people, I heard that the casinos could hire coolers, a k a, people who are bad luck or who cool off a good luck streak. So they hire people and plant them in the casino to make people who have like good luck and higher frequency winning streaks lower that. What do you think on that? What?
James Divine: Yeah. You mean like they'll hire like an energetic vampire to come and sit next to you? What is his name on what we do on this day? Collin Robinson . Yes. No hire. Heard that dude to come sit next to you and bring the energy down and ruin the luck of your blackjack table when you're winning.
James Divine: Yeah.
Katie Rempe: No way. These are just things that I have heard. Rumors, superstitions.
James Divine: I say no, I don't think that the casino is gonna spend money on that.
Katie Rempe: I don't know. I feel like anything is possible, but how would you hire someone like that?
James Divine: Can you imagine if you just like, if you're like Debbie Downer and you're like, I got hired by the Bellagio, and I just show up and I'm like, you're never gonna win.
James Divine: And that's your job. You just go and you play blackjack you're paid by the casino.
James Divine: We gotta make a TV show about the cooler. The cooler, sell it to Netflix.
Katie Rempe: Jim, you're a genius. Yes. There would be so much content for this. It would be so funny. Who would be the cooler?
Katie Rempe: You cast The Cooler right now.
James Divine: I think it would be Kristen Wig.
Katie Rempe: Yep. Or Rachel Dratch.
James Divine: It would just be like, Hilarious.
James Divine: We'd have to do it like how they're doing that show with the soccer player.
James Divine: Oh, Ted Lasso. Yeah. We'd have to do it like a Ted Lasso, like the intention is to like, bring down the winners, but they end up messing it up and making them win even more, and like getting excited about it.
Katie Rempe: Oh yeah. Oh, that would be fun.
James Divine: We're gonna have to cut all this out because it's actually a good idea and someone's gonna actually steal it.
Katie Rempe: I know, right? Yeah. Okay, cut that. Cut all of that. We're saving
James Divine: it for all that needs to be cut out.
Katie Rempe: Yeah. Yeah. So maybe coolers are a thing and we won't talk anything more about that forever.
James Divine: All right. What else? Let's do a few more.
Katie Rempe: you'll love this one. One guy said, don't touch my stuff. So what if you're playing at a machine for a while and the drink person comes around and they bust your items,
Katie Rempe: if he can't tell them no first and to please not touch his things and they just take his stuff, he'll leave. He will leave that machine and move somewhere else. He thinks it takes away the energy. Like it, they just swept it out of there. Like all the stuff.
James Divine: They took the mojo. So he wants all his empty drinks and straws and crap.
James Divine: Is he a hoarder? I'm wondering.
Katie Rempe: He's either very particular in pristine or exactly what you'd think.
James Divine: All right. Do you have another one that you love?
Katie Rempe: Yeah, so things that we've talked about in the past that just confirm what you've said in terms of What you're wearing. So a lot of people think, oh, if you dress up, you will have a more high frequency.
Katie Rempe: So if you're feeling awesome and you're looking awesome, you're gonna win. Like awesome. So that sort of thinking or so
James Divine: dress for the jackpot you want, that's it for the jackpot you are,
Katie Rempe: yeah. . That's it
James Divine: exactly. Yes. But I noticed in your video you were wearing red. So I suppose is it also like maybe the color you're wearing or the Yes.
James Divine: Vibe you're feeling?
Katie Rempe: Red is very lucky. And so if you wear red, red underwear, so get it like as close to your person as you can, or maybe you're wearing all red, that sort of a thing. And you had mentioned polka dots, so that was Yes.
Katie Rempe: Also bringing
James Divine: polka dots are coins. So I love wearing polka dots because that means money.
Katie Rempe: Yep. And then of course, things that we mentioned in the video, which were like, people are very particular about which direction they load the money in and exactly where it's placed in the slot.
Katie Rempe: So yeah, there's all sorts of things out there, and I'm sure we've only covered a brief handful of things, so I invite
James Divine: artists. No, we've covered every single. Superstition and gambling. That's true.
James Divine: So if you have a superstition gambling that we have not covered, it doesn't exist. I'm just kidding. Yeah. Come at me, bro.
James Divine: But obviously you have superstitions when you gamble or when you play cards. We have one when we're playing cards, which is walk around the chair to change your luck.
James Divine: Oh, okay. If you're not doing well in cards, you get up and walk around your chair.
James Divine: What are your superstitions when it comes to card games or gambling or luck?
James Divine: How do you do that? I want to know. Katie wants to know. We will put them up. Yes. And
Katie Rempe: share them.
Katie Rempe: Jim, I'm really excited to go back with you and do this for real. You and I we're gonna take the place down. That's
James Divine: right. We will go to the chandelier bar. We'll go to Caesars. We will go to Yes. The Luxor, we'll go to all the magical places and we will do more than gamble.
Katie Rempe: Yes.
James Divine: We'll hang out with Pamela Chen, Pamela Unicorn, and a bunch of other magical people in Lost Los Las Vegas.
James Divine: Yes. Los I always say lost wages los, like I say, but Las Vegas, which is a cool place. Yes,
Katie Rempe: indeed. All right, Jim. I look forward to next month. Celebrate our birthday. All right. Yay. All right. We'll see you then, everybody.
Katie Rempe: Okay. Bye.
Thanks for listening. Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed the show, consider sharing it with a friend, leaving a review on iTunes and Spotify or following Knit A Spell on Instagram.
You can also subscribe to the Light From Lantern YouTube channel to enjoy full episodes of Knit A Sepll and see our happy faces.
You can also learn more about readings, classes, and events going on with your favorite Maker of Magic James Divine by visiting thedivinehand.com and subscribing to his newsletter. Then follow Jim's fun and interactive Instagram account @DivineHandJim.
Keep up with Katie the Magical Maker by subscribing to her newsletter at lightfromlantern.com.
You'll receive a free knitting pattern as a thank you gift, then follow Katie on Instagram @LightFromLantern for even more magical making tips.
See you next week. Next week.
