An anniversary. Not just any anniversary, but the day my life changed completely. Exactly three years ago, I was sitting in the front row of the Helsinki Magic Show, heart in my mouth, the anticipation crackling in the air like electricity. Onto the stage stepped Pete Poskiparta himself – not just a magician, not merely a mentalist, but the very embodiment of mystery and illusion. He handed a metal face mask to the person sitting next to me to examine. And then… he had a volunteer shuffle the deck and pick out cards. And Pete, that man with the mask over his face, blind, named EVERY SINGLE one of those cards!
It wasn't just a trick. It was something deeper, something primal, something that touched a part of me I didn't even know existed. It was so impossible, so supernatural, that I HAD to find out how it worked. How can a person see without eyes, read minds, control probabilities?
Three weeks of torment, agony and obsession. Three weeks of very little sleep. I tossed and turned in bed, trying to crack that impossible equation. My brain was running at full speed, the obsession pounding at the back of my head. Days stretched into long hours and nights felt like an eternity. I had only one thing on my mind: how did Pete Poskiparta do it?
And then, finally, as if my brain had given birth to something new, I believed I had found the solution. One that could make that impossible trick possible. It was like finding the key to a lock I didn't even know existed.
Mentalist – a journey into the unknown
With that solution, I too became a mentalist, a magician, a creator of illusions. I started practising, studied techniques, read books, watched videos and soaked up every bit of knowledge I could get my hands on. And gradually, little by little, I began to understand that mentalism isn't just tricks and illusions – it's a deep understanding of the human mind and, above all, performance.
Three years have passed since that fateful evening. Three years full of hard work, failures, successes and incredible experiences. I've performed at Bulgaria's National Palace of Culture, done six sold-out solo shows at Taikatemppeli in Helsinki and created my own show, "Toisenlainen Todellisuus" (A Different Reality), combining mentalism, magic and stand-up. And most incredible of all, I've shared the Helsinki Magic Show stage with Pete himself! From fan to colleague, from apprentice to performer – it's been an incredible journey.
True crime mentalist: at the heart of evil
But my journey doesn't end here. I've always been interested in the darker sides of the human mind, in what lurks inside us when all control disappears. In how we manipulate each other, how we believe lies, how we do evil things. That's why I've developed true crime mentalism – a show that isn't just entertainment, but a deep psychological dive into the anatomy of evil, the breaking of minds and manipulation.
In my show, I look at how history's most notorious serial killers, cult leaders and other "masters of illusion" have used psychological methods and masterful manipulation to steer people's perceptions, memories and choices – even driving them to kill. It is the antithesis of traditional magic, a contrast to light-hearted illusion and a metaphor for the darkest corners of the human mind. I demonstrate these phenomena live through mentalism, blurring the line between truth and illusion.
Do you dare to step over to the dark side and see how easily your own mind can be led astray?
Come and experience a unique true crime mentalism show:
→ Find out more about Harhan Mestarit
