You are beginning to get veeerry sleepy. On the count of three you’ll start to have fun.

In case you’re wondering what your new semester at Iowa State has in store for you, help is on the way. Raven, a psychic/hypnotist, is coming to Johnny Orr’s Comedy Club this weekend to deliver laughs.

The unique thing about his performances, Raven said, is that they are 100 percent participatory. “The audiences are really the stars here,” he explained. “For it to work, they have to want to have a good time.”

The first half of Raven’s show is dedicated to his psychic abilities. But Raven doesn’t fancy himself a “psychic friend.”

“Psychics are getting a bad name because of Dionne Warwick,” he joked. “I think anyone who claims to see that far into the future is pulling your leg.”

Instead, Raven performs some of the more common “tricks” psychics are known for such as thought transfer, making predictions and telekinesis, or “making objects move with your mind.”

“I do two different kinds of telekinesis,” he said. “I do the basic make-objects-move-by-concentration, and I actually use an audience member to help me move a table, all with our minds.”

Raven, whose real name remains as much a mystery as his powers, says his prowess as a psychic is hereditary.

“To this day, my mom can keep track of me on my routes wherever I go,” he said. But he added that having psychic ability is not that uncommon. “Everyone has it in some form.”

Raven uses a combination of elements to entertain his audience. He said he’s part “psychic, psychologist and magician.” What you won’t find at one of his shows, though, is mistreatment of his participants.

“The first rule of my show is to make everyone in the audience stand up and say or do three stupid things.” he explained. “If they aren’t embarrassed to do that, then they won’t be embarrassed by participating in my show.”

Hypnosis, Raven said, is much like a “controlled dream.” He said that everyone can be hypnotized, but to which level varies and in what conditions is relevant. But this doesn’t prevent people who don’t fall under his spell to fake it.

“About 97-98 percent of the people on stage are hypnotized,” Raven said. “I can always tell when they’re faking it.”

What about those who aren’t faking it? Has anything out of the ordinary ever happened to Raven on stage? “The other night, someone threw up on stage,” he said. “I’ve had a knife pulled on me, punches thrown at me, a lot of zany stuff. But I never hold anyone responsible for what they do under hypnosis.”

You will now wake up! And go see Raven at Johnny Orr’s Comedy Club at 1206 South Duff. He will be performing Friday and Saturday nights at 9p.m. Tickets are $6 each and you must be 19. For more information call 233-0244.