As I described in my previous post, How Magick Works, the concept that magick works by raising and directing some sort of magickal energy is currently the most popular paradigm for understanding how magick works. If you have ever read a spell from a book of spells and followed the directions, only to have no result, the cause may be that there was no magickal energy raised or directed toward the goal of the magick. The words and actions merely direct the energy you raise, they are not the magick themselves. So as you learn various important aspects of magick—rituals, correspondences, etc.—I would contend that it's also a good thing to develop your abilities with magickal energy. One