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For those on the board who are users and workers of magic, why do you believe magic works?

Again, this is not a single sentence answering opportunity, so if you don't have a halfway thought-through answer, then skip this and go on to the next forum message.

My personal best explanation for why magic works is based off the Hermetic Principles of Magic (attributed to Hermes Trismegistus, I believe) as well as several other metaphysical "laws" that are commonly accepted.

As such, what particular field of magical study are you currently engaged in, and discuss what principles/ foundations have you discovered that explain the reasons why magic actually works...

Sorry if I'm out of place here. I'm not a magic user but I do have a couple of theories of why magic works.

There will always be people who simply believe that it will work and, with that belief, make it happen. I think this is how voodoo and curses work - the 'victim' knows they have been cursed, believes that something bad is going to happen and their mind makes them ill or whatever.

but I am also torn between that and my second theory:

The magic ceremony focuses the user's unused mental energies and this energy is what makes this happens through something like telekenisis or telepathy

Just my 2 cents worth :)

Magik only works if you believe in it.. i how ever dont do voodoo or hexes im more into reaversing evil and cleansing healing etc.. but mine has always worked.

I agree if you want somethuing badly enought and its not to harm anyone you can make it happen

personaly i think its the natural energy in the elements. and some people can use it to their advantage. some have to learn to use it. some it comes natural to. but if it doesnt bring harm then yeah.

well this is just my opinion but I belive that magic works by focusing the users energy into a "spell" the user can then direct that energy into a action.

I would also like to add that the user can "boost" the energy used in magic by using a item or spirt to help. I.e. using the power of a goddess or god,a ritual componet ect ect. agian this is just my opinion

Everything around us is made up of energy. Some people are born with the natural ability to manipulate this energy. Others have practiced and trained themselves to manipulate it. A lot of people believe that they control the energy. But all they are really doing is manipulating it from one state to another.

It works like any thing else, for all is corresponding to each other, all you need to do is to find the fitting combination that is suitable to your character(your certain intention, your certain wish), it is all about elements, all elements radiate certain energy/combination, we see only the outter shell of it, the outter expression, look deeper in to the elements, look deeper in to the surroundings, recognise the energy, combine, now there lyes a magic user........

While I do not use magik, I do have a theory of how and why it works.

I basically agree with Jayce. Energy is withing everything. Practitioners of Magik have developed the ability to take energy frim themselves, along with physical and/or mental aids, use it to trigger the natural energy of the subject and surrounding of the subject to affect a desired outcome.

I do believe that the willingness or awareness of the subject can have an effect on the triggering of their/it's energy and thus play a part in the sucessfulnes of the desired outcome. I also believe that, in some cases, the motivation of the practitioner can influence the effectiveness and manifestation of the physical objects used in the magik and how well and in what manner they trigger the energy effect.

As I understand it, magick is affected by will, focus, and intention. Your thoughts and intentions change and affect the energies aroud you. When you perform a ritual, you send out energy charged with your intentions into the ether, where they start to affect your reality through natural means. This also explains why your focus affects you magickal workings, because stronger focus on your intentions charges the surrounding energies more strongly, giving a higher chance of your ritual being successful.

I believe magick works because of the energy put in it and because of faith. I think you have to have faith in something for it to work no matter what the situation is.

It doesn't work. Full stop!

So-called "magicians" and practitioners of "magik" have been trying to harm me and my associates for decades. They've gone so far as to announce it, boasting what they were attempting to do to cause harm and even inflict death.

Gues what? Zilch! Nothing has happened.

My colleagues and I remain as strong and healthy as we've ever been.

Well probably you have a certain resistance/protection to it, or they are really zero at what they do...... For example black magic can harm exactley, if one knows how to do it.....

Also, your vehement disbelief in what they are attempting creates thoughtforms that directly counteract their own thoughtforms. You're practicing magick against them yourself.

I believe it works because I have seen what it can do. I think that people put too many limits on it too, i.e. the elements, the god or goddess, "spells". These things are just that. Magic works because of energy, you only need to use one of those things if you have limited yourself to needing them for channeling it. In reality I feel that these things are psychological helpers. Black magic and white magic do not exist, there is just magic, the user determines whether it is "good or bad." ALL magic paths began in a benign manner. Necromancy began as a divination art to communicate with the dead to HELP those left behind, todays "mediums" (the ones who truly have the gift) are what the first necromancers were. Voodoo was originally a healing art, as was druidism, and shamanism. I feel the need to point out to all those calling themselves witches that the word witch originally referred to a wise woman, generally a healer who was good with herbs, not a practicer of magic. They ended up getting accused of using magic by people who didn't understand what they did. Well, that ums it up for me. Sorry for rambling.

1. I fully agree that vehement disbelief is a strong form of "counter magick" as it raises your own energy against someone's will and influences.

Very interesting answers, and thank everybody for your honest opinions and answers. In almost every response so far, the basic thought has been "magic has to be believed in" or "energy is manipulated through the mind and projected into the Universe" (heavy paraphrasing used).

Both of these relate directly to the Hermetic Principle of Mentalism. The link leads straight to the other post of interest right now about this principle. What one focuses their mind on can affect a change in aspects of the Universe to cause what others would term "magick" or "magic" depending upon the person.

Someone else here mentioned "correspondances" which is good because it leads into part 2 of what I'm posting in regards to "why magic works". .. The Hermetic Principle of Correspondance.

I think most things are too misunderstood to say 'it doesn't work, full stop'

It is probably more accurate to say 'no-one has proved it yet' or 'the people who threatened me weren't able to do what they said they could'.

The things were understand now and call science would once upon a time be called 'magic' and 'impossible'

Thats entirely true.

Almost every single scientist before the Age of Reason were called magicians.

And now they are considered pioneers of the scientific arts.

Of course...isnt science in and of itself a form of magic.

Creating things out of almost nothing....explaining things misunderstood....

Very true Euphoric, in fact, scientists are now able to do things that alchemists and sorcerers of various followings tried and gave up on. They can make one element into another, it's not perfected but it is possible.

Placid, would you then be willing to extend your thought process to "magic works as a science"? Because science and magic are very interwoven together, regardless of what people might think. Science, in fact, is slowly proving more and more of what magic has always known.

Intent

Tenacity

Doings

That is why I think magic works. It is not just the spell or focus if you would… it is all the other little things that go into it.

Asking is another big one.

Think about people who are hurt because they are constantly over looked… then think about the ones that ask, or make their position known (not bitching, but expressing- there is a BIG difference there). The ones that put it out there, tend to be thought of when changes occur… because they are more able? No…

Because they asked.

So magic is what you put into it… some people have better focus, and will… and express this through their actions, others have to learn how to take steps to form their intent.

We are all magic, we just have to use what we were given.

I LIKE the science = Magik line of thought!

Now I guess I DO use magik and just called it science!

If you accept that both use different physical tools to manipulate energy to create a desired outcome, then they certainly are more similar than the average person would think.

This is a great thread Jenova, as is the other thread you referance. I need to look into some of the theories you bring forth in order to form a better opinion.

Actually along those lines of science and magic...

I view it that Science is the explanation of what others perceive is magic.

So in truth, it is just a description-

Science= we know how it works, why and can redo it over and over again.

Magic= We don't know how it works, and can sometimes redo it, but are still finding out how to do it all the time, and explain it.

Hmm, that is a possibility that I am willing to except Jenova. All in all, do they not try to achieve the same thing? In fact, the processes of the two are not that different. Maybe they are two sides of the same coin. Early alchemy employed them both and eventually birhthed modern chemistry. Yes, I would except that.

KCRC:> Actually, when I have some time tonight ( I have to skedaddle to work soon) I will probably come back later on and post something about The Science of Magic. My posts generally lead into each other (not wholly intentionally). While I'm not huge on spamming forum boards, it is certainly my intent to bring forth topics of greater occult understanding and topics of metaphysical (and scientific!?) interest.

Saharia:> I agree with all that you have said. Intent, will, and the drive to make it happen all have a part in why magic works. The spellcaster can cast spells all that he or she wishes and still not achieve a single thing without the will and drive to put forth corresponding mundane effort to bring about the change they desire.

Perhaps it may be said that magic works as a parallel in the unseen world to our intention and actions here? One of the laws of magic, the Law of Synchronicity relates to us that some things may happen as a direct result of something apparently unrelated. Or, also, something may manifest as an unintended result of something else. And perhaps this "law" is responsible for bringing the effect of magic into the physical realm alongside our mundane actions.

And for the skeptics: is magic nothing more that self-fulfilling prophecy? Or is self-fulfilling prophecy a form of magic brought about by sheer intent, the daring to ask, and the force of will?

Magic works if you believe in it . I don't do voodoo. I mostly do candle magic. where you have to believe in what you are doing . With alot of concentration.

Having practiced Goatia Magick and other various forms in the past I would have to relate this question to religion. There are simply some things that are not meant to be understood, but believed. In any religion there is no literal proof that a diety exists; however, there is the belief that there must be a supreme power and creater of the cosmos. Magick is in my opinion the power of the mind which is unlocked by the power of belief.

Jenova with your last question you seem to be asking the famous.. which came first? The chicken or the egg?

Even for skeptics, I think there should be consideration of what even Dr’s cannon explain- The placebo effect.

No one can explain why it occurs as there is nothing except intent involved with it, still it is effective and is considered a viable means of treatment.

Self-fulfilling- that to me is the most powerful thought there is with magic. And it brings up another old saying…

Careful what you ask for…

Magic works because 'Energy follows Thought'. I think that is simple enough. You may or may not use ritual tools and objects... but those are merely focal pieces to the brain power and vibes you are putting out there.

The idea that it even does is relative itself. Nothing "always" works, and when it appears to, one must look for answers instead of assuming. It only has the power that we give it.

anti has a good point - nothing works all the time - not even science. Einstein once said "any sufficiently advanced science is indistinguishable from magic. the more scientists find out about the nature of reality, the less we know, and the more subjective it becomes. i believe that when magic works , it is because it is a science we dont understand yet.

the principles of magic are the same as the principles of science - it has a logical cause and effect, and the basic principle is that if you do something in the same way, and under the same conditions, you will get more or less the same results - that is the principle behind ritual. whether what is believed is true or not is quite another matter.

People once would have thought that a voice travelling thousands of miles across the world in a split second would be magic...yet we could do it every day.

There are many, many things in this world that have not been explained yet, magic is one of them. There are many theories as to how it works, but no hard evidence.

My guess is that energies and the manipulation of are involved somehow, but I don't seek to explain it deeply. To do that would somehow detract from the mysticism of it, and perhaps reduce its effectiveness. My spells have always worked, possibly because I just accept that they will, without going into the why's and wherefores.

"There are many, many things in this world that have not been explained yet"

I reject that idea, and see the exact opposite. It is all in how you see it, and personally I think that there is very little left that is true mystery. People hate that so they hang onto what little they have for dear life.

But not in the paranormal world surely? After all, that is why it's called paranormal, or supernatural...because it goes against what people see as the natural order of things.

Take ghosts for example. Nobody knows exactly why ghosts exist, or why some people become ghosts and not others.

Magic - as stated in this thread, we don't know exactly why it works, or rather, how.

Yes, a lot of things in this world can be explained, but my point is there are probably an equal number of things that can't. Things that may not have been discovered yet.

Think how much we have discovered in the last 100 years or so - electricity, combustion engines, telephone waves, microwaves, x-rays....who knows what we'll discover in the next 100 years?

Maybe we'll discover a way to harness all the free-floating energy out there that's making magic work....

"But not in the paranormal world surely? After all, that is why it's called paranormal, or supernatural...because it goes against what people see as the natural order of things."

That is where the interpretation comes in, what some consider to be great paranormal mysteries, do have alternate, plausible explanations. Simply because believers reject them does not make them untrue. Like for example, the state in sleep where you experience paralysis, some still believe that is a vampire sitting on them and attempting to steal their soul. Some could argue that that is paranormal but the most likely culprit for instances like that are known.

But I tend to think in the here and now, this earth, this realm, this existence. I suppose I mean more here and physical, most things are known.

That can be the problem sometimes, being too grounded. Your mind tends to get too closed to anything other than the mundane.

Unless you actually believe, magic isn't going to be all that effective, if at all. Belief is a major part of it, it also enables you to focus your energy into your intentions. If you're constantly seeking a 'rational' explanation for something, you'll get distracted form your true purpose.

Anti, I wonder what you'd think if you ever saw a ghost...

I am a realist, and just because I focus on what I have here and now, does not condemn me to never taking another route. My view points have their ups and their downs like any other, but I tend to see the ups. It would be hard for anyone to say that I am overly grounded, because of course, only a small part of me exists here on vr. Being overly grounded is bad, yes, but am I? I do not believe so.

Perhaps some people don't see "ghosts" because they are able to better distinguish and realize things better than others, who is to say it isn't a great thing for the people who don't, maybe those that don't are the most stable of all. Who are we to say.

because they are able to better distinguish and realize things than others*

I am one who works Chaos Magick. The best way to explain what it is all about is to quote from "Liber Kaos" by Peter Carroll.
"It takes only the acceptance of a single belief to make someone a magician. It is the metabelief that belief is a tool for achieving effects. This effect is often fareasier to observe in others than oneself. It is usually quite easy to see how other people, and indeed entire other cultures, are both enabled and disabled by beliefs they hold. Beliefs tend to lead to activities which tend to confirm belief in a circle they call virtuous rather than vicious, even if the results are not amusing. The first stage of seeing through the game can be a shocking enlightenment that leads either to a weary cynacism. The second stage of actually applying the insight to oneself can create a magickan. The realization that belief is a tool rather than an end into itself has immense consequences if fully accepted. Within the limits set by physical possibility, and those limits are wider and more mallaeble than most people believe, one can make real any beliefs one chooses, including contradictory beliefs. The magickan is not one striving for any particular limited identity goal, rather one who wants the meta-identity of being able to be anything."
Chaos Magick is a new paradigm of the practice. It is not a simple matter to understand, because it does away with the conscious act of magick, and works with the unconscious. "Nothing is true; Everything is permitted" is the whole of the law of Kaos. All other paradigms including Thelema, Wytchcraft and Shamanism are useful to the magickan, however each is studied in order to incorporate what the discipline offers that can be used in their practice.

Images:> I completely agree with what you have said, energy follows thought and intent. Ritual and tools are methods of focusing the mind and getting out of "daily" status. Some people can do it without prior focusing, some people use it to start off and end up skipping ritual, and some people never use ritual at all.

i have 2 good friends who both weave magic in there own way, one who says she channels energies and not so much bends them but uses them in there natural way, and another who uses her belief or for want of a better word her faith to accomplish things, both have merits but i have always wondered what would happen if both were to combine

its all in the psycy if you believe it might come true but if i believe that you believe in said magic then it is a possiblility that it might come true but that what a person proceves it to be

Anti:> I just wanted to say that pragmatic views of reality are more than welcome in this thread. It is a discussion of "why it works" and therefore should have some opposing views to what has been posted.

Part of the problem of magic is knowing that it works on some levels and is quite possibly nothing more than a self-fulfilling prophecy. I think that many of my most interesting studies have been in pursuit of magic and whether it works or not based on actual reality and real-time events.

It's important to test the boundaries of what you believe to remain grounded, but at the same time, it also doesn't hurt to have a little magic in your corner. Perhaps magic is the placebo that kicks us into high gear to accomplish our goals. Maybe magic is nothing more than the bridge between our mentality (what we plan) and our will (the ability to act).

Personally, based off experiences in both mundane and magic work, I can't completely write off the factor that there are some things that were set into place and circumstances that came about to produce the right conditions under which I could act and bring to fruition certain goals.

((that was a run on sentence if I ever did see one!))

Magic works based on the will of the caster or user working with it. A strong will maketh a strong wizard or sorceror. Same materials maketh a cunning witch or sorceress, and almost every flattering adjective imaginable can be used interchangebly to describe either gender of magic user.

The will is half the key, while the knowledge makes up the other half.

Both unlock Magic's mysteries.

i beleve, it has to do with spirits entering the body. and in turn causing the being to have super natural ablitys.

Hmmm an interesting thread. I was raised in the Christian tradition where prayer was utilized. Prayer was the asking for something and then having the faith that it would happen.

About a decade ago, I began exploring Wicca. In Wicca, you put the energy out there in a ritual/spell/thought...and have the belief that it will work.

Thus...my thought is that it starts with me putting whatever it is I want/need OUT THERE......in some manner and then BELEIVING that it will happen. So.....I think magic is a statement to the "powers that be" and then a sending of energy that it will happen..thus making it happen. And it comes around in full circle.

hmmm of course....this could be a late night ramble.....

Magic works only when you truly believe that it can and will happen..
You have to pull energy and you must draw strength from the greater powers that be in any practice you do.

Although Voodoo is often associated with Satanism, Satan is purely an Abrahamic belief and has not been incorporated in Voodoo tradition. When Mississippi Delta folksongs mix references to Voodoo and to Satan, what is being expressed is social pain such as from racism, which is couched in Christian terms and blamed on the devil. Those who practice voodoo do not worship or invoke the blessings of a devil.

Further adding to the dark reputation of Voodoo was the part of Ian Fleming's widely successful James Bond series, which had been continually in print in both the English original and translations to numerous tongues. Fleming's depiction of the schemings of a fiendish Soviet agent using Voodoo to intimidate and control a vast network of submissive Black followers got an incomparably greater audience than any careful scholarly work on the subject of Voodoo

Voodoo is the root of what pagan and wicca truly is, for it is the first raw energy of what we that use magic truly are. those who say, " i did a spell, and made my ex or prepy girl fall down the stars". people are so sad, cuze they are fallen from there true place, for you do not use magic unless in dier need, or you are in great danger.

nothen good came from it, nothen ever really dose from magic. i try and stay away from it, for what we fill is how strong it will be. most say not is training, but i tell you now get someone who can use it and knows whos trained and the one that cant do carp is scared of the other trained one.

the trained one will lose hands down, just a matter of what the person fills and thinks of at the time.

I saw the subject line for this forum post and immediately thought the phrase 'faith makes reality' if you think on something enough, or worry on something enough, it will maneifest itself into something real or cause something to happen.

As with any other form of religion, I believe that you have to have faith to start with. Also I believe that if you put all your efforts and energies into something and you want it bad enough then you can make anything happen...

i believe magic works only through the engery you give off. i've used magic to find someone to complete my life with, it worked but it backed fired. magic is something to believe in. its another belief, but with engery added with the whole wanting it combined together.

So then, for those who believe in "if you believe something enough you make it happen", do you consider that self-fulfilling prophecy or magic? Or are they one and the same?

I can see how if you believe something it could turn into a self-fullfilling prophecy but it doesn't always work like that. For example, I was at Borders buying books and I went to leave. My head is thinking about what I just bought. The doors at borders are not electric, you have to open them. Well, I forgot that and stood at the door fully expecting it to open b/c that is what it does. The door opened for me. People behind me gasped and then I realized that itwas a mechanical door. In situations like that, some form of magick was involved but no self-fulfilling prophecy because I didn't know I was doing it.

First off you ask a half question.
What Kind Of Magic? Blood Magic, Sex magic?
incantations Or By Herbs And Incense.
Magic Is Tapping Into energy either good or bad to influince your will.
I have used it and it does work.

Magic is both a frame of mind as it can be a way of life. you have to find your own way.

I do not believe in magic, I believe in mystery. Magic is an interpretation of the manipulation of universal laws which are not well understood. Every action affects every other thing. All things are interconnected and every use of free will has an affect; the more will exerted teh more effect.

If one has the will and determination to achieve something, it is not magic simply because you do not understand fully how it came to pass, otherwise I would call myself a magician simply because I know how to throw a light switch, and go to work so I can pay my power bill and pay my taxes and all the other events that need to occur before the light goes on.

It all comes down to free will, effort and understanding.

The question to me would be more one of:
What principles do you use to affect the world in a way that is more significant than the common man?

To which I would answer:
-All things are interconnected
-All things are a microcosm for a greater principle
-Words are the most significant force for change.
-Changing your perspective is the best way to change the world as you know it
-Free will when exerted has repercussions which may be exponential to the will exerted but are subject to the friction of the free will of others.

As I have said in a few posts the mind is capable of tremendous things and with some spells that do have to be well thought out they can work. I have been capable of telekinesis and telepathy and maybe it is the power of the mind to make another feel better or think in a certain way not to hurt themselves or others but to the world at large that is magic because not much is known in how it actually works all I know is that it does and for now that is good enought for me

Why? Simple. Because people desperatly, drivingly, NEED it to. People need the spark of unreality to make their realities more livable.

Have you ever noticed that when you try to affect someone who absolutely doesn't believe, that it doesn't work? It isn't that it's their unbelief squishing your effect. It simply doesn't exist for them, at all.

Magic only works for, only EXISTS for, those who embrace it as part of their reality.

Just like religion.

Creepy, no?

Well my magick is scary to some and creepy, cause most of the spells I know and learned comes fomr the spirits of dead witchs, warlock and also form some demon and gardian spirits, dont take it wrong all they tell me and teach me works, its just hard sometimes cause I have no clue what they plan sometimes but everytime they showed me something a spell, it works and it does have at time a small effect and other a BIG effect. The best thing is that when someone ask for apsell, well I can help, I just need to ask my spirits and they tell me what I need to do and then i can help the perosn do the spell they seek.

So magic is faith based
If you have faith it works it will work
But if we could explain why or how it works then it wouldnt necessarily be magic because I define magic as an inexplainable phenomenon.
Thats my opinion

Vamplez,well put! Not much I can add to that, except that I think magic works for the practitioner because he/she believes in the work being done, and their own ability to work it!

i agree with lav. you don't have to study a certain type of magic. i have put energy out into the universe and it has come back to me with results... i wasn't that detailed on what i wanted and was almost cursed but learned.

Magic works because the human being has evolved as a social animal. amoung the things that makes up the human is ritual... we do things inthe way we do because they have worked in the past... in the case of why magic works: it follows that the rituals that we perform is an imprint of the desired effect upon our subconcious... to be carried out (remembered) sometime in the future. Concious or unconciously.

Everything follows the rules of nature. Even magic, and it is the magicians' skill that exploits these little known rules of nature that allows them to do things most people are unaware of.

Like the blindspot in EVERYONE'S eye. We all have it, and a good magician will use it to their advantage to make the impossible seem possible.

"If you know how, then anything is possible" — as my motto states.

Aside from the many laws and theories already documented in the 'classics' and here, I think it works because it's energy that is already there (physics). You're just using Will to focus it.

But I draw a distinction between personal mischief (changing stoplights) and doing more Divine works.

Magic is directing the energy in the air to fulfil our will. Someday, science will have the technology to see it and record magick being used.

Magik works because it taps into elemental energies. There are many things that are unexlpained in nature. Why do most people feel more alive walking through the forest or swimming in lakes?

The energies of these places tap into parts of the brain that "Man" as a whole has tried to turn off in the name of technology and advancement.

Magik taps into these primal forces and bring on back to a time when "Man" as a race was more in touch with there surroundings.

I believe magic works because of the thought and concentration behind them. The mind is incredibly powerful and our own capabilities are much greater than we give ourselves credit for.

magic happens cuz we will it and cuz we channel it throu us like a lighting rod. and that is what makes it work i think

i'm a magic doer and they work for me. the more difficult the spells the more a witch must meditate. why do we meditate so much? because it makes us one with the world, we can do anything when we're the world. and the spells that we do are part of the earth.

i think that practicers of magick, myself included, serve as piggybacks in a sense to the energy that helps keep the universe going, when it piggybacks, the piggybacker gets to minipulate it in ways that help it accelerate.

BELIEF

Most of any kind of magic, magicks work because of the energy evolved. There are so many sources and so much untapped power around one, it is mind boggling. a human has much potential and power of the will and spirit.It works because that person believes and puts forth his Ka, lifeforce,energy whatever u wish it to be.

Maybe some practice a certain "form" of magic. I believe that the magic you make is your own. Once you are comfortable with with what you are doing, you acquire your own style. Magic comes from within, not from a book. I'm not saying books aren't good, just that personal magic is better.

There's a lot of good reasons already posted. I do believe if you believe in something hard enough it will work. Magick to me works mainly because you believe that it does and the prepration and the time you put in it. Other factors are using your belief in practicing. You make it come to be.

Pulling into yourself and making it happen in other words. Using the earth and using it for good purposes makes it work very well. I do believe there also may be a higher powers at work. Granting you the ability to do it. So not only believeing in yourself that you can do this. Also Believeing in the higher powers that it will happen.

ok i do believe in magic but it depends on the type of magic watching David Blaine on the television throw himself off a building and fly is nothing but ropes and wires the magic a believe in are mistaken for miracles that happen every day things that cannot be explained like i had a accident a while back where i burned my face badly now the doctors said i would have to have surgery and get the scars removed i didn't think it sounded as a option so i refused never went back ever to this day i still have no scars. another form of magic i think is E.S.P. lets say you drop a plate somehow you know right where to move to to catch it before you even see it hoe i explain this as a form of magic . Potions and witches are another thing not only held in T.V. most of them like to keep to them selves and i do know a few personally and i am one myself and i know my own tricks that i should keep from others .

my personal opinion is that magick is within the witch...its up to the practioner on how they use it or what deities they use or invoke ....

Magick works by granting your desires through introduction of energy and intent by the Magickuser. The spell may not give exactly what one wants but will give what is generally needed. It is a kind of butterfly effect, small introduction of energy may set a chain of events that cause the desired action. A spell is nothing more than a prayer to the god(s) for help. Same as Christians praying to Jehovah. There is an old saying "Be careful what you ask for." ;)

i beleive it comes from the energy of the user n first you must beleive n comes to work with practice

magic works because the person wills it to. they take part of their energy and combine it with the spell. the combined energy force creates the needings for the spell. its all about what you have inside.

Magick is everywhere, its energy, all you have to do is learn how to use it, manipulate it.
But only do so for the greater good... at least that is what i was taught

You have to believe in yourself,and if you do all things are possible no matter what it is.

Icy and others. While I appreciate the "believe and anything is possible", you have all failed to present ideas as to *why* it works. Why, if you put enough belief into any one concept, you can make it come to fruition?

Does anybody read the entire premise of a thread before hitting "reply"?

Sorry, I am not of the opinion that magic just works "just because I believe". There is something that happens with that belief and thought that brings about a result that has consequences in the physical plane.