What exactly is magic?

Hello, brothers and sisters!!!
So, I've been studying magic and spell casting for years now and I still cannot understand what magic really is. I tried casting basic spells more than few times without success. I followed guidelines when it comes to visualization and casting during the correct moon phase. Does magic even involve outside forces? For example, if you were to cast a love spell, would hidden forces create a circumstance where you would meet your love? Like maybe you accidentally bumped into that person or maybe your coffee maker breaks and you go to the store and meet that person. Or does it work like the law of attraction? Which I believe is nothing more than psychological conditioning and there's nothing special about it. It seems all of the spells require intense visualization and unquestionable belief. But is there magic that uses symbols, sigils or words to bring change or miracle? If such powerful magic exists, why then the world's most powerful magicians could't cure themselves of cancer or depression?
I'm not questioning anyone's beliefs, I'm just trying to learn more and understand.
Thank you!!!

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There’s a difference in what you’re talking about.
Magic is the practice of tricks and illusions referred by the people.
Magick is what you may be asking for.

First of all many will tell you the spelling of magic as you use it is reference to stage magic and illusions, though it is used that way in the title of this site as well as other locations. Magick as in the supernatural and unseen forces is spelled slightly differently. I personally believe that magick, and this is odd to say as some practioners are atheists, is sort of like a prayer. You send out positive or negative energy into the world hoping for a desirable outcome. Magick has limitations and cannot alter your physical form nor result in amazing miracles. Some describe magick as putting the odds in your favor such as luck magick yet will tell you that it will not make money appear out of thin air nor do the work for you meaning it is essentially a tool to help you.
In many situations I believe magick is psychological such as I do not believe you can take away a persons free will or simply curse them though if you let them know they are cursed coincidence compounded with paranoia will make them feel as if they are cursed. I do believe that magick might and I stress might place negative energy in their life that could harm them yet at the same time I think the universe delivers justice in its own time without our interference. There are things that go beyond the so called normal which I believe in such as rare gifts like empathic abilities, spiritual entities, etc... There are obviously some things that science cannot fully explain. You can gain much from magick if only becoming more open to the world around you as well as meeting amazing people, but you are not going to cure incurable diseases, win the lottery, or make politicians smarter as magick has limitations especially when it comes to the last miracle I mentioned ;).

Magic, to be quite direct (at least my favorite definition), is the art and science of affecting change in accordance with will.

A lot of people seem to approach with some grandiose idea that magic is a cure-all. It is not.

A lot of people approach with the thought that magic is casting spells. It is not. Magic is not spells; spells are a tool which some people use to attempt a magical result.

Magic certainly does not require an outside force, though some people choose to incorporate deities, spirits, guides, or what-have-you.

Magic cannot cure depression, but there are things associated with magic (some which are also associated with psychology, some which are not necessarily so) which can help a person cope. In time, it can help a chronically depressed person cope much better than having done nothing, but it does not preclude seeing a medical professional.

The most difficult aspect of magic is when a person asks for proof. Proof lies purely in belief, the only metric being valid results in the interpretation of the practitioner. Let's approach from the aspect of the world's most commonly requested working, a love spell:

If a person casts a love spell, say it's lighting a red candle, staring at the flame, and chanting, "Bring love to me ..." for the duration the candle lasts. This does several things psychologically, such as embedding the idea of openness to meeting a person, and may cause the spell's caster to be more subconsciously on the lookout for a chance meeting. If they happen to meet someone within the next, let's say, year, does that mean the spell worked? The answer is, who's to say?

The person who has been seeking love might believe so. Or they may see it as coincidence. It's been a long time, after all.

This is partly why some traditions suggest that internal change -- personal development -- is a greater and more direct approach than external change. Do you want a better job? What things can you change about yourself to be more attractive to potential employers, or for a better likelihood for promotion?
Do you have a quick and severe temper? What is needed to quell the flame of anger?