Doug Henning (1947–2000) was a renowned Canadian magician and illusionist. In 1983, he was one of the most famous magicians in the world, with his *Doug Henning's World of Magic* show holding the record as the most-watched magic show in television history[^1]. Henning worked with [[John B. Alexander]] on [[Psychokinesis|psychokinesis]] research, particularly in the context of [[Jack Houck]]'s spoon-bending parties. Alexander invited Henning to attend these parties to provide an expert opinion on whether a group of guests could collectively cheat. Henning was reportedly amazed by the spontaneous bending of a spoon in his manager's hand, which indicated that no physical force was involved[^1]. In 1987, at the height of his popularity, Henning quit stage magic, stating he was leaving "illusion magic" for "real magic"—the kind that science could not yet explain. He thereafter focused on [[Transcendental Meditation]] (TM) and began spending much of his time with its founder, [[Maharishi Mahesh Yogi]]. Henning believed that "Magic is something that happens that appears to be impossible... What I call illusion magic uses laws of science and nature that are already known. Real magic uses laws that haven’t yet been discovered"[^1]. His death in 1999 from liver cancer led [[James Randi]] to blame the Maharishi, claiming Henning abandoned regular medical treatment for his diet of nuts and berries[^1]. ### Footnotes [^1]: Jacobsen, Annie. *Phenomena: The Secret History of the U.S. Government's Investigations into Extrasensory Perception and Psychokinesis*. Little, Brown and Company, 2017.