Witch

A Witch is a human being born with a piece of the All, which enables them to manifest magical powers. Like mortals, witches can be either good or evil, but only good witches serve as protectors of the innocent.

The origin of witchcraft dates back to the beginning of the Earth itself. Since then, witches have existed for untold centuries, passing down their knowledge and skills through generations in family lineages.

Contrary to popular belief, witches do not receive their powers from demons, nor do they worship the Devil. Instead, witches use their powers to hunt and vanquish demons in order to protect the innocent and to make the world a safer place.

The term "witch" is not exclusive to females, and is extended to males as well.

Every bloodline of witches originates from Neena, also known as the first witch.

Appendices
Witches, like mortals, can be either good or evil, but only the good witches serve as protectors of the Innocent. Traditionally, Witches are born with a primary active power, such as telekinesis, but their powers grow as they age.

Often, their supernatural abilities are exhibited in early childhood, though it is not unusual for a person to grow into adulthood before her or his capabilities are realized. In addition to their active powers, Witches can also cast spells and create potions to amplify their magic. They live by the rule that they are not to use their magic for personal gain. Witches must decide within the first forty-eight hours of their powers awakening if they will travel the path of good or evil.

Origins
When the world was dark, a spiritual energy ran through everything that existed, neither Good nor Evil. The Elders called it The All. Thousands of years ago, a woman came across that Nexus. She alerted her mate of what she had found. At first they were afraid of it, but she pushed past that fear and tapped into this power. The woman was infused with more of the All than any human was supposed to possess. The woman shared that power with her mate and it changed them, making them immortal. It bonded them forever to one another and to The All. They ascended to a place of pure, utter bliss that they shared with the All, known as the Higher Realm.

However, their presence there affected the earth as The All was contained to the Higher Realm. As a result, the world started to die. The only way to save the world was for the woman and her mate to separate their powers and allow the power of The All to flow freely again. The woman and man were forced to abandon the Higher Realm, never to return again. Once back on Earth, the woman gave birth to a pair of twins that were conceived while she was in the Higher Realm.

The first child was a female and had powers like her mother, though not as strong, and it was from this child that almost all witches descend from. The second child was a male born with the same abilities, but he used the magic for dark purposes, and that gave rise to warlocks. Their other children possessed no magic of their own, but they and their descendants could tap into The All as practitioners. In very rare circumstances, these non-magical descendants could give birth to a full witch. This is very likely how Melinda Warren was born a witch. Every time a witch or warlock was born, he/she inherits a tiny piece of the All that allowed them to develop an active power.

Witches Trial
During the late 17th century in Salem, Massachusetts, several men and women were persecuted for practicing witchcraft. During this period in Colonial America, many of the Puritans who had settled in the Northeast believed that witches were servants for the Devil. These events became known the Salem Witch Trials, in which numerous people—witches and mortals—were hanged or otherwise killed.

One of these people was Melinda Warren, the founder of the Warren Line and ancestor of the Charmed Ones. She was burned at the stake after being outed as a witch by the warlock Matthew Tate.

Classifications
Witches come in two types: Magical witches and Practitioners. This method of classification has been used several times in the show when practitioners have been an element of the storyline.

Practitioners
Humans who practice witchcraft, but lack any true magical powers are known as "practitioners." The practitioners featured on Charmed tend to treat witchcraft as a more religious experience than the sisters do and usually follow the Neopagan religion of Wicca. These witches are not immune to the power of Molecular Immobilization. However, it was revealed that some practitioners do have the fundamental Wiccan abilities of casting effective spells, brewing potions, and scrying, but lack an active power.

Magical Witches
Magical witches are born with the ability to use magic. Their supernatural powers are passed on to them through blood from their ancestors, and are bound to their emotions, thoughts, and souls. A witch's magic is a genetic component that may skip a generation, making them mortals before their magic resurfaces.

Every magical witch possesses the fundamental Wiccan skills to cast spells, brew potions, scry for lost objects or people and acquire information through divining. Besides this, their magic will manifest itself in the form of one or more individual, personal powers commonly known as "active powers." These powers can be used at will and do not require incantations or potions. Magical witches are able to access their magic from an early age, but their powers can manifest from the womb and can be tapped into by their mother.

Magical witches are also further classified as upper-level or lower-level. Upper-level witches naturally possess more strength and skill than lower-level witches, which allow them to perform more spectacular feats of magic, such as casting spells of supreme power and brewing potent potions to help achieve their goals. In a family of witches, the firstborn child is supposedly the strongest compared in its set of siblings.

Good witches are assigned Whitelighters by the Elders, and may also have familiars when they first begin combating evil. All good witches, regardless of their level of power, are immune to the effects of Molecular Immobilization.

Warlock
A witch who betrays the Wiccan Rede, sells his or her soul to pure evil and kills another witch to steal his or her powers becomes a warlock. A warlock can be either male or female, just like a witch can be either gender.

They tend to strengthen their powers by killing other magical creatures and obtaining theirs. Upper-level warlocks possess the ability of blinking, which was originally a witch's power before it transcended into a warlock's.

Although a warlock is usually originally a witch, some are also born that way. They can also be converted through a dark wedding ritual with a warlock, which will convert the witch in hours. The very first warlock to walk the Earth was the male of the twins born to the first witch, Neena.

The first enemy the Charmed Ones ever encountered was a warlock named Jeremy Burns, who became Piper Halliwell's boyfriend to lure her into a trap.

Evil Witches
An evil witch, sometimes confused with a warlock, is a witch who renounces the Wiccan Rede, and redirects to using his/her powers for personal gain and evil means. They typically do not kill witches for their powers, but if they desire so, they use other methods to obtain them. They also do not sell their soul to the devil. When witches turn evil, they renounce their right to a Whitelighter.

One memorable evil witch was P. Russell, who was a distant relative of the Charmed Ones as well as Phoebe Halliwell's past life, who turned evil when she fell in love with a warlock named Anton. Another was the Evil Enchantress of the Dark Ages, who was Paige Matthews' past life. Other examples include Tuatha, the Stillman Sisters, the Wicked Witch from the Magic Mirror and Vicus's Collective.

Whitelighter-Witch
Whitelighter-Witches are the offspring of a witch and a Whitelighter. These hybrids possess the basic powers their Wiccan heritage and may develop the powers and calling of a Whitelighter. These hybrids are also able to develop unique hybrid powers, such as telekinetic orbing, which is the combination of telekinesis and orbing. These hybrids are vulnerable to the poison of Darklighter arrows and susceptible to being called by the Elders and their charges.

Demon-Witches
Demon-Witches are the offspring of a witch and a demon. Only one of these hybrids is known to have existed. The Source's Heir was the child of Phoebe Halliwell and Cole Turner, who at the time was possessed by the Source of All Evil. The union between Cole and Phoebe created a massive concentration of power. The unborn child was later stolen by the Seer and its overwhelming power destroyed them both.

Phoenix
The Phoenix is a coven of assassin witches who have risen from the ashes from the Salem witch trials. Powerful, agile, and cunning, these witches will stop at nothing to collect whatever bounty they have been hired for. Such witches are born with the birthmark of a phoenix on their bodies as proof of their legion. These witches are neither pure good or evil and possess powers that appear demonic in nature. They also possess Grimoires instead of a Book of Shadows.

Darklighter-Witches
Darklighter-Witches are the crossbreed between a witch and a Darklighter and can inherit powers and abilities from both species. The first Darklighter-Witch was evil Paige, followed by evil Wyatt and evil Chris Halliwell. When trying to send Chris Halliwell back to the future, Gideon sabotaged the attempt as a distraction and instead traded the good Leo and Chris for their evil counterparts. Like their Whitelighter counterparts, a Darklighter-Witch can use the power of telekinetic orbing to move objects. They can also summon Darklighter Crossbows and arrows like any other Darklighter.

Cupid-Witches
Cupid-Witches are the offspring of a witch and a Cupid. These hybrids possess the basic powers of their Wiccan heritage and may inherit the powers of Cupids. Unlike pure Cupids, they do not require a Cupid Ring to activate their powers. The only known half-cupids are the three daughters of Coop and Phoebe Halliwell, the eldest of which is P.J. Halliwell.

Gypsies
The Gypsies are the sister species of witches. The High Priestess of gypsies is called a Shuvani and is wiser than most Gypsies. Unlike witches, they are not as powerful, and rely on using herbal remedies and spells to access their powers. When a Gypsy sees a "mulo," the spirit of a living dead, it only depicts that something horrible is about to happen. In the Nicolae family, one member of each generation was assigned with the task to protect the Evil Eye—the protective symbol of the Gypsy family, much like the symbol of a witch family.

Firestarters
Firestarters are magical beings born with the ability to create and manipulate fire. However, Firestarters do not possess any other magical powers. It was later revealed to be possible for an individual to be both a witch and a Firestarter, as shown by Christy Jenkins. She possessed the power of Telepathy as well as Pyrokinesis and was mentioned as being a Firestarter as well as a witch.

Empaths
Empaths are reincarnated mortal beings with the ability to sense the emotions of others. These beings are destined to offer guidance and healing to those that need it. As shown by Phoebe Halliwell, it is possible for a witch to be destined to receive the power of empathy and gain the title of empath. Phoebe mentioned this power most likely grew from her premonition power and Leo mentioned she was meant to receive it.

Spirits
When witches die and pass on to the afterlife, they may become spirits unless they choose to be reincarnated. Witches are generally powerful spirits and retain the powers they possessed during their lives. Spirits of witches are also able to cast the spell to banish evil spirits, as the spell requires the caster to be a spirit themselves. They may be summoned to cross the divide and some possess the power to come and go as they desire.

The Window of Opportunity
The Window of Opportunity presents itself if a new witch hasn't decided to use his/her powers for good or evil yet. During this time, she/he could be swayed either way. The Window of Opportunity remains open for forty-eight hours from the moment the witch's powers awaken.

Because of free will, good and evil are unable to make her/him choose her/his path magically. However, evil can tempt the witch to take an innocent's life to make her/him take the path of evil, which will make her/him evil forever. On the other hand, if the witch does an act of good, she/he becomes good.

The Window of Opportunity was created eons ago by good and evil to protect free will. What happens after the forty-eight hours if the witch still hasn't made his/her choice remains unexplained.

Power and Abilities
A magical witch possesses the four innate abilities: Spell Casting, Potion Making, Scrying and Mediumship, but the additional powers are depended upon one's own level of skill, lineage or bloodline. Their powers also seem to grow depending on their character and emotional state, making them more powerful as they age. Lower-Level witches possess little to no active powers, but still show the basic abilities.

Magical witches born into a blood siblinghood inherit their powers based on seniority: the firstborn usually displays the strongest power in comparison to their younger ones. Paige Matthews was an exception to this rule; she received the power of telekinetic orbing after replacing her oldest sister Prue Halliwell as the Charmed One with the power of telekinesis.

Strenght and Weakness
Witches, as magical beings, have different strengths and weaknesses than other magical beings and humans.

Strenghts

 * Magic: Witches have the ability to perfom magic.
 * Personal Power: Magical Witches have the ability to have a personal power and be able to defend themselves.

Weakness

 * Mortality: Despite their mystical attributes, witches are still human and share many of the same weaknesses as non-supernatural beings (e.g. age, disease, heart-failure, etc.).
 * Emotions: Since witches powers are tied to their emotions, this is a primary weakness for them. When they enter an extreme state of emotional distress, their powers often don't work as they should.
 * Disbelief: The act of refusing to believe in one's powers, can suppress a witches abilities the point where they are rendered useless.
 * Overexertion: The excessive use of magic, or pushing one's abilities to far will result in failure, headaches, and sometimes disorientation.
 * Power Stripping Potions: These potions have the ability to erase a witches magic and ultimately, render the mortal.

Power Stripping
A witch can relinquish her powers and affinity to all sorts of magic using either a spell or a potion. Said powers will then either vanish or be given to another individual. The Hollow is known to be the most dangerous method. The witch who loses her power will be rendered completely mortal.

Transformation
Another way to separate a witch from her powers is by transforming her into another supernatural being altogether. This has been done multiple times throughout the show. While some transformations allow the witch to retain some, if not all, of their original powers, others usually make them disappear.