I love your post and I think these are very important questions.
As I have never done any spell work (though I am interested -- it's just not at the forefront of my interests right now. I'm more into other esoteric studies) I may not be qualified to give an opinion, BUT I will anyway. :) I read on an awesome tarot site that tarot is to your intuition what the magic feather was for Dumbo. Dumbo could always fly on his own -- the magic was within him. But with the feather, he believed it. With tarot, the well of intuition is available to us already, but tarot gives us something to project that energy onto. I imagine it is the same with spellwork. I believe that the magic is within all of us, and connecting a ritual to what one is already bringing into being with his or her intent simply makes the intended outcome concrete, and therefore more likely to succeed. Additionally, I personally believe that we are all created in the Image of God, and therefore have the same ability to Create (which is what I think Christ was showing us. "See? You can do this, too!" I think too many people think that when He walked on water it was just to show off who he was. I think that Christ, Buddha, etc etc etc are the representations of who we may strive to become.)
Okay, THAT said -- yes to both -- prayer and directing of energies, though I like the definition in the previous comment, that prayer is more like a conversation.
I prefer magic, simply because the word is more familiar to me. I have associated the word more with the wonder and mystery of being alive (like when you see a sunset, meteor shower, a really awesome play or movie, or even hear an amazing piece of music and you respond with "That was magical.") than with tricksters or slight of hand. It makes me feel more like that magic is the force that connects everything, and therefore the process of "magick" is tapping into that magical source. :)
Hope that wasn't too much. I'm pretty wordy as it is, and I never get to talk about this subject matter so I suppose you can all just expect novels from me. I apologize in advance. :-P
As I have never done any spell work (though I am interested -- it's just not at the forefront of my interests right now. I'm more into other esoteric studies) I may not be qualified to give an opinion, BUT I will anyway. :) I read on an awesome tarot site that tarot is to your intuition what the magic feather was for Dumbo. Dumbo could always fly on his own -- the magic was within him. But with the feather, he believed it. With tarot, the well of intuition is available to us already, but tarot gives us something to project that energy onto. I imagine it is the same with spellwork. I believe that the magic is within all of us, and connecting a ritual to what one is already bringing into being with his or her intent simply makes the intended outcome concrete, and therefore more likely to succeed. Additionally, I personally believe that we are all created in the Image of God, and therefore have the same ability to Create (which is what I think Christ was showing us. "See? You can do this, too!" I think too many people think that when He walked on water it was just to show off who he was. I think that Christ, Buddha, etc etc etc are the representations of who we may strive to become.)
Okay, THAT said -- yes to both -- prayer and directing of energies, though I like the definition in the previous comment, that prayer is more like a conversation.
I prefer magic, simply because the word is more familiar to me. I have associated the word more with the wonder and mystery of being alive (like when you see a sunset, meteor shower, a really awesome play or movie, or even hear an amazing piece of music and you respond with "That was magical.") than with tricksters or slight of hand. It makes me feel more like that magic is the force that connects everything, and therefore the process of "magick" is tapping into that magical source. :)
Hope that wasn't too much. I'm pretty wordy as it is, and I never get to talk about this subject matter so I suppose you can all just expect novels from me. I apologize in advance. :-P
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