Spells

A spell is a series of words that, when said in a certain order, changes reality to various extents. A spell is a ritual intended to produce a magical effect; thus, in order to be effective, it must be performed by a magical being. To this end, a spell recited by a mortal will not work. The act of performing a spell ritual is known as "casting the spell". Witches traditionally record their spells in their personal Book of Shadows, both for their own reference and to preserve them for posterity.

The Charmed Ones' Book of Shadows contains a plethora of spells, all of them written by witches from the entire Warren-Halliwell line. The warlock Bacarra once noted that there was a vanquishing spell in the book for every demon the family has ever encountered, and was astounded by the magic it contained. He stated that while he "knew their magic was good", he "had no idea it was this good". He then realized that a demon in possesion of the book would go entirely unchallenged in the underworld, as not even the Source of All Evil would be safe.[1]

Spells can be non-verbal and can also be channeled and used by powerful telepaths. Protection spells are impossible to create, since the spell's compulsion towards keeping the subject safe would not allow the subject to move in an attempt to prevent any possible danger.[2]

Skilled witches can combine a number of spells to make a single, more powerful one for the same purpose. Witches can also use one spell for multiple purposes, as shown by Prue and Piper's usage of the Belthazor summoning spell to instead summon Krell, a bounty hunter looking to deliver Belthazor to the Source.