I think he means mana is the means to produce a form of magic.
Magic itself is performed when the player either reads a spell or perform one silently.
So how about this idea.
There are 3 levels of spells..one type reqiures you to make gestures for it to work...the second type requires you to say the incantaion aloud, the third will require you to point at the target and the fourth will happen automatically becuase your mind power is such you need not make any body movement or sound.
What i mean is this:
This is what your character will do to do when you cast the spell...you need not memorise the varying body movement or the incantation for the spell to work.
