A magician never gives away his secrets, but Rex Sikes, a Milwaukee mind reader, has no problem disclosing that practice, determination and a genuine interest in other people are the keys to successful mind reading.

"Nothing that I do is supernatural," says Sikes. "I don't talk to dead people. I can't predict the stock market or the lottery. Everything I do is by the process of the mind and all people can do it."

Sikes (yes, that is his real name and not a play on the word "psychic") claims mind reading is more of a skill than a special power and based on intuition and identifying non-verbal behaviors.

Although Sikes fancies himself primarily as an entertainer who has dazzled audiences with his abilities to "read" minds, he is also a corporate speaker and seminar trainer. For more than 25 years, Sikes has traveled around the world teaching professionals, from CEOs to police officers to pig farmers, how to improve their communication skills.

This summer, despite his busy travel schedule, Sikes will spend his weekends in Milwaukee performing "Theater of the Mind" at the Brumder Mansion, 3046 W. Wisconsin Ave., every Friday and Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. (Doors open at 7 p.m.)

Every performance is different, but show highlights could include Sikes predicting how much change is in an audience member's pocket, describing what a person is thinking or actually leading the audience to move an object through concentration. Sikes has as $10,000 guarantee that none of the participants are planted in the audience.

"My favorite part was when we shattered a light bulb by focusing our minds on a certain musical tone. It was absolutely incredible," says Jill Neyens, who recently attended a show. "I don't know how he does it. He reveals information that he simply could not possibly know about the audience."

Sikes, who has been nicnamed "The Amazing Rex" by fans, is quick to point out that he would never embarass anyone by exposing something personal, even though he can often pick up on such details. He also says his success rate is pretty good, but he definitely isn't infallible. "I'm not always right, but right enough to stay in business," he says.

Evem skeptics will find his approach digestible, primarily because of his belief that none of his abilities are supernatural, rather learned, and also because Sikes is a "regular," down-to-earth guy with a love of people and mind for business. (Aside from conducting performances, trainings and seminars, he has written numerous books and created a half-dozen motivational tapes.)

Interestingly, this was not his first career. Sikes, a Los Angeles native, made 30 movies including the cult classic, "Massacre Central High," that still occasionally runs on HBO and Cinemax. He may return to film in the near future, but for now, is enjoying his work, his family and his life in Milwaukee.

Although some of us may dread the thought of having a significant other able to read minds, Sikes says his abilities are well-received by his wife. In fact, she will often channel him a message, like "bring home bread," instead of calling him on his cell phone. Sikes says sometimes he receives the message and sometimes he doesn't.

Sike became fascinated with the power of the mind when he was eight years old and asked his mother to read him a book about ESP. He and his cousin started "practicing" with a deck of cards, first by simply making each other guess if the unturned card was black or red. Eventually, they became experts at "knowing" and moved on to predicting the suit, which upped the odds from a 1 in 2 chance to a 1 in 4 chance, and eventually graduated themselves to the value, and so on.

Despite the somewhat controversial nature of his live shows, he has received very little negative feedback, except for a few e-mails. But Rex Sikes isn't fazed in the least.

"Those who are skeptical should be. People should believe whatever they want to believe," says Sikes. "What I am there to do is entertain."

Check out www.amazingrex.com for more information or call (414) 342-1703 to reserve seats for the show.