Magic is the craft of Witchcraft, and few things are at once so appealing, so frightening and so misunderstood...The power of magic should not be underestimated. It works, often in ways that are unexpected and difficult to control. But neither should the power of magic be overestimated. It does not work simply, or effortlessly; it does not confer omnipotence...Learning to work magic is a process of neurological repatterning, of changing the way we use our brains...A spell is a symbolic act done in an altered state of conciousness, in order to cause a desired change...Spells are an important aspect of magical training. They require the combined faculties of relaxation, visualization, concentration and projection...Spells work in two basic ways. The first, which even the most confirmed skeptics will have no trouble accepting, is through suggestion...However, spells can also influence the external world...This aspect of magic is more difficult to accept. The theoretical model that most Witches use to explain he workings of magic is a clear one and coincides in many ways with the "new" physics. But I do not offer it as "proof" that magic works -- nor do I wish to convince anyone to drop their doubts. (Skeptics make better magicians.) It is simply an elaborate -- but extremely useful -- metaphor. The metaphor is based on the world view that sees things not as fixed objects, but swirls of energy. The physical world is formed by that energy as stalactites are formed by dropping water. If we cause a chance in the energy patterns, they in turn will cause a change in the physical world..."

Other occultists have stated, "Magick is the art and science of changing consciousness at will." The world we percieve, both outer and inner, is dependent on our state of consciousness. So one person will experience the same thing another person does, but this one will have a totally different interpretation of what it was. And, in the higher states of consciousness, there are no others, no seperate beings. So, in that awareness, one cannot impose will or coercion on another. All are different facets of a single gem.
Is this an energy? [I had asked, if magick is manipulating energy, what energy it was -- scientific energy in atoms, or some kind of spiritual energy.]Is conscioussness a form of energy? Or are we trying to fit the all and everything into a form we can understand? If, as Einstein said, energy and matter are the same thing ultamately, what stands begond this energy/matter might be the awareness which includes them both. It might be said that the whole of the time-space continuum exists in a larger context, that of a consciousness which is all encompassing.

Of course, this goes beyond the discussion of spells and potions, even of rituals and the satisfaction of desire. And there is a place for these in the evolution of a magickal life, but it is unwise to get stuck in a single view defensively. An open mind is a summons to real magick.

Magick, I believe, cannot be pinned down to one definition. To me, it is a more blanket term then anything else. Magick can be the actual act of spellwork and raising energy, the whole process of casting a spell or performing a ritual, and it is also used to describe certain types of spellwork, e.g. "stone magick, candle magick", etc. Magick has been described as "the art or science of focusing, tapping into, and using the natural forces found within us to bring about change" (thanks to the people at LavendarWater's site for that). I have found that sometimes even the most broad of definitions sometimes don't always work for every individual, which is in no way wrong. If you as a follower of the Old Ways feel that "magick" itself is something different, then that is what works for you and there is nothing wrong with that. Basically, whatever you feel speaks most to you, as with many other things in this Way, is the correct definition of magick for you.

We can see and feel the parts of the Whole -- that leaf, or seed, or breeze, or drop of rain, or fellow human being -- and we can then know and feel that we carry a portion of the power within. Our own power is very great, and with it we can create many things in our lives, yet n comparison to the power of the Whole, it may sometiimes seem not enough. So we seek to augment our own power by calling on that which is larger than the self.

Now, a concept of Oneness could seem troublesome or even shocking to some at first, when they consider the full implication of what that means. Cosider this: the Whole power that is One power encompasses all. This power, which is both seen and unseen, can be said to be positive, in that it is life-perpetuating and life-affirming. It survives, despite the feeble attempts of any individual or group of individuals to thwart it. Forms may be altered -- built or destroyed -- but the power of the Whole remains.

Destroyed? Think about it -- what can be called upon when one seeks to work magick, or to pray, or to take any thought or action that calls upon a power beyond the conscious self. The awesome, all encompassing power has been called by many names, depending on who is calling: God, Goddess, the Force, Allah, Jehovah, Jesus -- yes, and even Satan.