Magic requires the development and integration of the right hemisphere way of thinking with the left hemisphere way of thinking. The language of magic is expressed in symbols and images. Images bridge the gap between the verbal and non-verbal modes of awareness. Symbols and images implant certain ideas in Younger Self who passes them on to High Self. By allowing the critical and analytical functions of Talking Self to relax, Younger Self may respond fully and emotionally to what happens during your magical workings.
All humans relate to their environment through symbols and rituals.
Except during rare occasions, we do not experience our environment directly. Our left hemisphere patterning awareness developed so we could safely ignore anything in our environment which was not potentially dangerous. It has served as a goad and a goal since then. Ironically, when you become too mature, you withdraw from the world around you and lose interest, this is usually marked by a tendency to live in your memories instead of the present. This condition is called old age and people who give in to living in the past are called senile.