Channeling

Power Channeling is the ability to channel the powers of other beings, allowing the channeler to use the activated powers of those they are channeling for themselves.

Description
This ability is psychic in nature and is an extension of Empathy and Telepathy, and can only be achieved through those two powers; however, only certain users of the two aforementioned abilities can channel powers.

Also, empathy and telepathy users may not be able to channel the same type of powers. Empathic beings, for example, can channel powers that are linked to emotions, such as active powers, while telepathic beings were only ever shown channeling powers linked to thoughts, such as spells.

Now, while the end result is the same, as they are two separate abilities, both sets of users use different methods to achieve it.

Through Empathy
"Way to channel!"

- Piper to Phoebe; after she sees Phoebe vanquish a demon with her own energy ball.

This method is very easy to use; it works by channeling the emotions of other's. Since powers are attached to emotions, by channeling one, the user channels the other. From there, the user will be able to counteract the power of the being they are channeling. It's a defensive aspect of Empathy, which only highly skilled users can use. Users of this power can channel it through both the eyes and the hands.

Furthermore, the user will have considerable resistance to the power they are channeling, which makes the power, when used against them, ineffective. Though never shown, it may also be possible to channel spells while they are being casted, as it's a basic magical power, and reap the benefits of the magic.

Phoebe Halliwell is the only known user capable of using her power in this manner. She found it to be an extremely helpful power in close-quarters combat; for example, deviating Fireballs and Energy Balls back at demons instead of evading them and creating her own. Phoebe as shown that she can channel her power through both her eyes and her hands.

Phoebe can channel up to six different individuals at a time, she first revealed this during a battle with a group of Swarm Demons. She channeled their emotions and used her hands to stop their fire balls in mid-air, before redirecting their powers back upon them, vanquishing two Swarm Demons at once.

Through Telepathy
"Quick! Throw the potion while I'm still channeling them."

- Christy telling Billie to throw the teleportation potion so that they can reap the benefits of the sisters spell.

This method is a little more intricate and a bit mysterious, as it relies on thoughts instead of emotions. For example, users can channel other people's spells while they are being casted and reap the benefits of the magic by reading their thoughts. One should note that when telepathy is used in this manner, channeling thoughts and reading thoughts are one and the same.

The only known telepath to have ever done this was Christy Jenkins In 2006, when the Charmed Ones used a spell to take them to Pator, Christy used her potion to take her and Billie there as well. As shown by Christy - during her quest to find Pator it takes longer and a lot of concentration to channel spells. This is because the channeler can not reap the benefit of a spell unless it has been completed.

It is left unconfirmed whether or not a telepath can channel and control another person active powers, since Christy, the only known user, was only ever seen channeling a spell. However, they can replicate powers.

Notes and Trivia

 * This ability is usually referred to as Channeling on the show.
 * Pilar, Phoenix and Patra used a form of power channeling to channel the Charmed Ones' power of three in the episode Repo Manor. However, when the reverted to using their demonic powers the sisters were able to regain control over to the power of three.
 * Pat Shand, the comic writer for charmed season 10 had this to say about the possibilities of the power being used in season 10, "Nah, it hasn’t been retconned. It’s just — and this is me speaking for myself as a writer, Paul might have a different opinion — that it’s such a huge power that can be used to make a plot more convenient, and that’s not dramatically interesting. Especially for the grounded story I’m building with these characters. But the more magic-driven answer, I suppose, can be that sometimes the specific parts of their power sets increase and decrease over time? You guys can feel free to fanwank that, but unless something comes up that makes her channeling enhance a scene, I’m probably not going to get into that part of her powers."