Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 2: The preparation
• Method 2 of 2: Mastering the trick
• Tips
• Warnings
• Necessities

As with ouija boards, the party trick "light as a feather" has been an unmissable sleepover game for years. In fact, it has been played for centuries! In this "supernatural" game, a single person is lifted just by the fingers of four or five people around them. Is it levitation? The power of the suggestion? Magnetic forces? A specific combination of muscle tone, balance and weight distribution? Whatever the statement, it sure looks magical!

To step

Method 1 of 2: The preparation

1. Make sure the person you are about to lift is flat on the floor with their arms crossed across their chest. You can place blankets or pillows under the person for both comfort and protection should the person fall. Those who are going to lift should kneel or sit next to the person, preferably one person at each shoulder and one person at each knee. If a fifth player takes part, he must kneel at the head of the person to be lifted.
2. Make one of the players the leader. This is usually the host of the party, but it can be anyone who knows the game well. That person is responsible for guiding the group through this trick, so they need to know exactly how the trick works from start to finish.
   • It helps if the leader is a bit theatrical. The leader has to tell the group about the game's eerie, supernatural origins and it's a lot more fun when he really knows how to convey it!
3. Clasp your hands together. Stick out your two index fingers as those are the only fingers you will use to lift the person. The players must then place both fingers under the shoulders or knees of the person to be lifted, depending on where they are sitting. If there is a fifth player at the head, they can place one finger under each of the shoulders.
4. Do a first round of testing. The leader should instruct everyone to try, but there should be no countdown or special line-up. Just try to lift. You probably cannot or hardly move the person. It will feel too heavy to lift him or her with just two fingers.
   • At this point, the leader should tell the group that it is not working because the person is not yet "possessed". Since the group has not yet performed a mystical chant, the spirits have not yet been summoned. Now is the time to get down to work.

Method 2 of 2: Mastering the trick

1. Prepare to lift the person again. Once you've established how difficult it is to lift the person, it's time to apply some simple 'mind over matter' tricks to increase your strength - or at least the mystical nature of it. game! This is also a good time for the leader to explain the concept behind the game.
   • The leader can be creative with the explanation. For example, the leader may explain that the person's body is being taken over by the spirit of a deceased, causing the body to stiffen and take off. Make it as creepy or funny as you'd like!
   • Dimming the lights and lighting a few candles can add to the supernatural nature of the trick.
2. Place your hands above the head of the person being lifted. Hands should be alternated so that each person's hands are separated by those of another person. Pressure on the person's head - slightly, of course! The leader must tell the group that with this step they open the subject's body to supernatural influences and that at this point the spirits from outside enter the body and make light like a feather. Remove your hands from the person's head and place them back under them.
3. Repeat in unison: "Light as a feather, stiff as a plank". You may also have heard the variation, "Light as a feather, strong as an ox." Repeat this together over and over. The person to be lifted must remain perfectly still with the eyes closed. As you sing, you slowly begin to lift the person.
4. Lift the person while you keep singing. This time, the person should be able to be lifted with ease. Then slowly lower them back to the floor as you continue to recite the words. The leader must order the "spirits" to leave the body and voilà - you've completed the trick!

Tips

• The person's stiffness also helps with this trick. As the players sing the words, the person becomes stiff and focused. When the person's body is rigid and the muscles tense, lifting becomes much easier.
• During testing, the group of hitchhikers are usually skeptical and unfocused. There is no rhythm established with the singing, so the players probably won't lift in unison. The lifting works the second time because everyone is focused, a rhythm is established within the group, and the players work together exactly at the same time. Since the weight is evenly distributed and everyone lifts together, it is much easier.
• Remember that your fingers are stronger than you realize. In fact, the Guinness world record for the heaviest single pinky deadlift is 67 pounds!

Warnings

• Be careful not to drop the person you are picking up.
• If you choose to light candles for the right atmosphere, make sure they are far away from the blankets and that they are blown out after the trick is done.

Necessities

• Four or five people to lift
• A person to lift
• Pillows or blankets
• Candles or dim lighting (optional)