What is "magic" and what properties can one wield from it?

[Rhod the Red]

Since the Istari were banned from exercising most of their powers, we only see Gandalf and Saruman engaging n some magic. From Saruman's 'voice' as a hyper-hypnotism to Gandalf holding the door against the Balrog in Moria with 'Word of Command' for the door to stand firm, to Gandalf setting fire to wood(requiring the wood to already exist, not able to totally produce fire out of thin air) to the Elves having dreams of foresight and Galadriel using water to see into the future.

Most of the magic on it's own is each quite significant, the kind your average person wants, but in the greater scene of things don't dramatically affect the course of events. I'm reminded of what Merlin tells Aurthur in the Disney move of The Sword and the Stone that "Don't get any ideas that magic will solve all your problems! Because it won't!"

We don't admire characters in Tolkien's works for the magic they resort to. When you think about it it's because of their intelligence and decisions, how they decide to face their fate. Whatever the circumstances. Thinking on your feet is very important in many areas of real life. It's the twists and turns and how people deal with them, work as a team, that makes the story worth a read.