Well, again there are a great many ways to approach the practical act of doing magic. But there are a number of underlying patterns which we can examine to advantage. Here is one.

Before taking action, magicians work out exactly what they want to achieve with this act of magic. There are clearly ethical considerations as you could be changing people's lives. You also want to be effective.

Most acts of magic begin with a marking out of the area in which you intend to work. This could be the casting of a magic circle, a banishing ritual, a trance induction. The underlying purpose of this stage seems to be to settle and prepare the mind for what is to occur. In some systems this will be a formal process laid down by tradition, in others quite freeform.

The next stage is to create a symbolic representation of what you want to occur. Again, some systems have rules and methods that dictate how this should be done. Others are far more free form.

The next stage can go one of two ways. Many spells and rituals seek to generate emotion, or other stimulation of the mind and body at this stage. Equally, many seek to inhibit and restrict the mind and body. Both, performed properly, lead to a stilling of the conscious mind. At this point the symbolic representation is made the focus of the magician's attention. This tends to be the climax of the ritual or spell.

The final stage is an undoing of whatever method was used to open the event. The magic circle is deconstructed, the banishing repeated etc.

It then only remains to await the result.