Alarin, such an interesting post!
I think one of the big thing that I-M does and LoA maybe explains is the change in my behaviour when I am actively "practicing" these things.
Let me be a little specific, just for the example.
I drive to work down a hill about 25 mph, no lights, no stopsigns, little traffic. (We are a mile up in the mountains out here and our "hill" I guess is more the top of one of the ridges with higher mountains all around us) Anyway, (I digress
)..... when I am "practicing" I-M, that means I am going through what seem to be the most important of my intentions of the day or moment. I habitually add an introduction to my intentions which I've posted before, it's actually something Steve Pavlina had on his blog and I modified a bit. When I do this, I have a better day....I notice things that make me feel good, I respond to people maybe just a bit better (I'm pretty darn easy to get along with, but maybe I'm just a bit more astute about what's going on with folks), and I notice things that help me in a myriad of ways. Also, my discipline for the things I aim to do is better. I eat more healthfully. And so on.
So, this seems to do something for me which directly relates to my own behaviour, internally and externally. This makes a lot of sense to me and I can see it helping everything from one's spirituality to one's business, one's relationships with others to how one keeps one's environment/household in order.
If we notice this aspect, maybe there is less hocus pocus involved than otherwise imagined. The parking place is there because I notice it.
And hey, if there is a bit of "synchronicity" involved as well, hey I'm all for it....there is so much we don't notice with the 10% of brain we are said to use
I'll bet we'd see a lot more of what we'd otherwise call magic if we were more conscious of ourselves and our surroundings.
Just my 2 c for tonight!
Ati