To Separate a Witch from Her Powers

"Powers of the witches rise, course unseen across the skies, come to us who call you near, come to us and settle here."

- Piper, Phoebe and Paige using the spell. Prue Piper and Phoebe using the spell.| How to make a quilt out of americans. To Separate a Witch from Her Powers is a potion that goes with the spell To Call a Witch's Power that is used to absorb the powers of another witch; once the potion is created, it is to be consumed, willingly or unwillingly, by the witch whose powers are sought. The adjoined spell has to be chanted by the maker to absorb the powers after consumption. Based on the final three lines, "foul and dark like the night and craft of the creator of this brew and her desire to steal from another for vengeance, power or ire", the ritual may have been created to teach future witches about personal gain. .

Gail Altman and her two friends, Helen and Amanda, summoned the demon Cryto and promised him the powers of the Charmed Ones. When Gail visited them she tricked them into letting her look in the Book of Shadows. When the girls left her alone with the book, she searched for the page and ripped it out. She later gave the page back to Phoebe and the sisters used the spell on Cryto to get their powers back.

It was then used by Mabel, Mitzy and Margo Stillman to steal the Charmed Ones' powers in an attempt to take on their identities and become them.

Although a potion had to be made for the spell to work, it was cast by the Stillman and Halliwell sisters without it. It may be possible that the potion only needs to be used if it is a Wiccan practitioner using it.

Creation
"With Hemlock Root complete the draught, foul and dark like the might and craft of the creator of this brew and her desire to steal from another for vengeance, power or ire."

- Book of Shadows entry

The ritual was written by a descendant of Melinda Warren in the family's Book of Shadows. She was apparently either evil, angry or at least desired more power. It may have been P. Russell who wrote the ritual, as she was known to be evil after falling in love with Anton (1923 or 1924), and was killed by her cousins because of it.

Gail, Helen and Amanda
Many years later, Gail Altman, a friend and covenmate of Penny Halliwell, arrived at the Halliwell Manor in the hopes of stealing the ritual from the Book of Shadows and using it to strike a deal with the demon Cryto; should she give him the powers of the Charmed Ones, he would grant her, Helen and Amanda youth. She succeeded in ripping the page from the book, and she and her friends brewed the potion. When Prue, Piper and Phoebe, the Charmed Ones, arrived at Gail's home, she slipped them the potion and cast the spell after they had left. The powers were then given to Cryto, and, while he made Gail young, he turned Helen and Amanda into dust to keep them from turning on him, as it took three witches to banish him. He then forced her to persuade several of her friends in town to trade their souls for youth. Gail soon regretted what she'd done, and slipped the "To Call a Witch's Power" page back to the Charmed Ones so they could banish him. However, when she tried to escape, Cryto caught her at it and turned her to dust. The page was returned to the book by the sisters. (How to Make a Quilt Out of Americans)

The Stillman Sisters


Mabel, Mitzy and Margo Stillman, three evil witches, found the spell in the Book of Shadows and cast it on the Charmed Ones. They had previously cast an Identity-Theft Spell that gave them the Halliwells' identities, so, after stealing their powers, they had effectively become the new Charmed Ones. The Stillmans did not brew the potion as Gail, Amanda and Helen did, instead just casting the spell, but they learnt that it could not steal Paige's powers due to the fact she was half-whitelighter and not just a witch. The spell was later used by the Halliwells to reclaim their powers, and the Stillmans were imprisoned. (The Power of Three Blondes)

To Summon the Source
After the Source of All Evil used the Hollow to steal the Charmed Ones' powers, the three cast this spell to summon the powers he'd already stolen, but instead he arrived in the manor. Paige then questioned how they were to call for their powers. However, the Source was, ultimately, vanquished by the sisters with assistance from Cole Turner, who was in possession of the Hollow, which was returned to its crypt by Phoebe and the Seer. (Charmed and Dangerous)

Spell and Potion
The actual spell of the ritual is almost identical to the To Call A Lost Witch spell, minus the last two lines. It wills the powers of the targeted witch to leave their previous owner and settle within the caster instead.

The potion is supposed to be brewed in a pot of black lead, which Gail ignored, and contains Gypsy Blood, Mandrake Root, Nightshades, Henbane, Datura, Nux Oil and Hemlock Root. It was only used by practitioners, while real witches just used the spell.

Appendices

 * (Book of Shadows text:)



To Separate a Witch from Her Powers

 * In a boiling crucible of the blackest lead
 * combine gypsy blood with a mandrake's head
 * More of the nightshades will you boil
 * the henbane, datura and from nux an oil
 * With hemlock root complete the draught
 * foul and dark like the might and craft
 * Of the creator of this brew and her desire
 * to steal from another for vengeance, power or Ire

To Call a Witch's Power

 * Powers of the witches rise
 * course unseen across the skies
 * Come to us who call you near
 * come to us and settle here

Behind the Scenes

 * Although Gail ripped out the page and folded it, the page appears unharmed in later episodes.
 * The To Call a Lost Witch page has the same spell as the spell on this page, with the additional words "Blood to blood, I summon thee. Blood to blood, return to me".
 * The spell was once used to summon the Source in Charmed and Dangerous, although it was meant to just return their powers.
 * The "To Call a Witch's Powers" spell was used twice in The Power of Three Blondes, though both times were without the use of the potion.
 * Zankou also used this spell in Something Wicca This Way Goes...?, but, like Aunt Gail, he needed the potion as well. But when he used it, he just had to throw it at them, but Aunt Gail had to have them drink it.

Appearances
This page was used in a total of 5 episodes throughout the series.

Oridanry Witches (piper and phoebe)


 * Season 2
 * How to Make a Quilt Out of Americans


 * Season 4
 * Charmed and Dangerous


 * Season 6
 * The Power of Three Blondes


 * Season 7
 * Season 7
 * Something Wicca This Way Goes...?