Mystery (seduction guru)

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Notable members of the seduction community
Neil Strauss (Style)
David DeAngelo
Juggler
Mystery
Ross Jeffries
Lance Mason
Zan

Erik Von Markovik, also known as "Mystery", is a pioneer of the seduction community, and a main character in the non-fiction book The Game: Penetrating the Secret Society of Pickup Artists, by Neil Strauss. Von Markovik's contributions to the Seduction Community are collected and taught as the Mystery Method, by the company of the same name.

1 Biography
2 Involvement In the Seduction Community
3 References
4 See also
5 External links

[edit] Biography

Markovik was born and raised in Toronto, Canada^[1] of German ancestry. He legally changed his name from Erik James Horvat-Markovic in his early 20's[1][2])

Markovik was, by his own account, unable to attract women in his teenage years, at one time a Dungeons and Dragons player.^[1] As a result of his sexual frustration and loneliness he traveled to nearby cities over a 10-year period and approached women. Over time and after thousands of cold approaches, he developed a routine based system for successful approaches called the Mystery Method.

Markovik had worked as a close-up magician in restaurants in New York and Toronto while trying to get a job as a magician on a cruise-ship.^{[citation needed]} He credits the experience with helping him to learn the ins and outs of human interactions. Von Markovik, like other magicians including Penn & Teller and James Randi, does not believe in the supernatural. He self-identifies as an atheist.

Markovik instructed and then befriended author Neil Strauss, who went on to become Markovik's 'wingman', and ultimately a mentor in the seduction community himself. Together with a number of other seduction mentors, Markovik and Strauss rented a large residence in Beverly Hills ('Project Hollywood'), which soon became a mecca for aspiring students. The friendship is recorded in Strauss's book The Game. The book paints Markovik as emotionally unstable, suffering intermittent bouts of manic depression, requiring at least one episode of institutional intervention but also as one of the greatest pickup artists in the world and a staunch friend of Strauss.

[edit] Involvement In the Seduction Community

Markovik discovered the seduction community during the 10-year period he spent developing his technique, and regularly posted his progress and findings on the Internet newsgroup alt.seduction.fast in long, detailed posts called "field-reports".

[edit] Technique and Contributions

Main article: Mystery Method

Markovik is is credited with coining a number of now-ubiquitous terms and concepts in the seduction community. Markovik has introduced concepts borrowed from Evolutionary Psychology and Theatrical Showmanship, engaging his experience as a Magician. Terms such as "set", "peacocking", and "the 3-second rule" were coined by Markovik. Markovik introduced the concept of the infamous "neg", a backhanded compliment intended to snub a potential mate ("target"), telegraph a lack of interest ("false disqualification"), and encourage the target to prove her worth ("qualify").^[2]

Though seminars and workshops on seduction technique preceded his involvement, Markovik is credited with introducing 'in-field' workshops,^[3] in which small groups of students were appraised on their technique as they approached unaffiliated women in bars and nightclubs. The focus of the workshops was limited to approaching, establishing rapport with and a dominant social position to the targeted women; broader relationship skills were not covered.

[edit] Professional Involvement

Markovik is the former figurehead of, and head instructor for, the company Mystery Method, which runs seminars to teach men seduction, and sells a variety of multimedia products on this theme, based on his work. The company is expanding its instruction methods, and on May 4, 2006, held its first college seminar at MIT.