Witch

**Witches** are supernatural beings who are born with the power to affect change by magical means (Witchcraft). While many witches are the self-proclaimed "Keepers of the Balance," other witches have been known to work against the Balance and use their power for personal gain.

## The Balance of Nature

The Balance of Nature is a spiritual belief system based around the observance of the Earth and reverence of Mother Nature. The goal of many witches is to honor the design of nature and to maintain balance within the natural world. The balance of nature is intimately tied to one's spiritual relationship with the Earth, and the idea that all living things (e.g. animals, humans, plants, etc.) are considered sacred, as they are all different aspects of nature. Contemporary witches would also agree that using modern ceremonies, rituals and shamanic practices is the best way to attune themselves with the natural rhythms of the universe in their efforts to obtain guidance and knowledge from wiser known witches called "The Spirits."

## History

The origin of witchcraft remains unknown, however, it is known that witches have existed for many centuries passing down their knowledge and skills through generations of family lines. Contrary to popular belief, witches do not receive their powers from demons, nor do they worship the Devil. Instead, witches consider themselves "the Servants of Nature," as they make it their duty to maintain balance within the world. Christopher Chamberlain had once stated to Charlotte that "witchcraft was rooted in psychic energy".

## Magic

Witchcraft is a practice of magic that encompasses many different types of activities including astrology, divination, spell casting, and spirit communication. It includes the practices of many cultures, nations and religions as well as many books and writings dating back to ancient times. Depending upon the individual, some witches practice their power by certain belief systems, such as Shamanism, Voodoo, Wicca, or any number of other magical practices from countries and cultures all around the world. Although the majority of traditional witches are commonly portrayed as being kind and selfless humans who use their powers to maintain balance within the world, it has been proven that some witches are independent thinkers who may go against the Balance of Nature by practicing their powers for dark and sinister or selfish deeds.

## Powers and Abilities

### Basic Powers

* **Spell Casting**: The power to change and control events through the use of incantations.
* **Channeling**: The power to invoke extra forms of energy by focusing on external forces.
* **Potion Brewing**: The power to brew and concoct potions, remedies and elixirs that have supernatural properties.

### Other Powers

* **Telekinesis**: The power to move objects and persons through mental influence.
* **Pain Infliction**: The power to create excruciating migraines through supernatural means.
* **Elemental Control**: The power to control and manipulate the elements of air, earth, fire, and water.
* **Divination**: The power to divine future, past, and present events based off extrasensory perception.
	+ **Clairvoyance**: The power to divine future, past or present events through instinctive knowledge.
	+ **Intuition**: The power to divine future, past or present events through the use of instinctive knowledge.
	+ **Premonitions**: The power to divine future, past or present events through the observation and study of dreams.
	+ **Psychometry**: The power to divine future, past or present events through contact with or proximity to a certain object or person.

### Uncommon Powers

* **Projection**: The power to separate from one's body and project the mind to another location or to instantaneously travel from one point to another.
* **Transmogrification**: The unique power to alter the physical structure of objects living or dead, changing their form.
* **Telepathy**: The power that allows witches to access the minds of others through spells.
* **Possession**: The power to jump one's spirit into the body of another, taking control of said host body.
* **Illusions**: The power to alter the senses of others to perceive a false reality.
* **Dream Manipulation**: The power to control people's dreams through spells.
* **Resurrection**: The power to bring someone or one's self back from the dead.

## Weaknesses

* **Disbelief**: The act of denying or disbelieving in one's potential could cause a witch to inadvertently suppress their magical power.
* **Distraction**: Denying a witch from concentrating or giving full attention to their spells, may render them ineffective. Since most spells are spoken verbally and take time to take effect, witches are vulnerable to attack before their completion. Additionally, certain spells require items, tools, and/or special events during casting, therefore they can't be invoked on mere whim.
* **Emotions**: A witch's magic is subject to the influence of their emotional state and may fluctuate according to them when untrained. According to Christopher Chamberlain, strong emotions such as worry and anger can fuel a witch's power while emotions such as fear may prevent a witch from properly accessing their powers.
* **Herbs**: Ingestion of certain herbs can cause a witch to lose consciousness and prevent them from using magic for an undetermined amount of time. The Lobelia flower prevents concentration and the practice of magic and can be used to weaken a witch as one would weaken a vampire with vervain.
* **Witchcraft**: Witches are still susceptible to the powers of witchcraft.

* **Mortality**: Despite their mystical attributes, witches are still human and share many of the same weaknesses as non-supernatural beings (e.g. age, decapitation, disease, heart-failure, suffocation, snapped neck, etc.). However, witches can temporarily get around this weakness through the use of protection spells.

* **Overexertion**: The excessive use of magic could lead to disorientation, nose bleeds, unconsciousness, and if taken to the extreme, death.

* **Nature**: It is said that nature will always find a balance when witchcraft is performed, thus spells will always have loopholes. This means, among other things, that no being can be truly immortal.

## Tools

* **Amulets**: An object that is used to protect its wearer from harm.
* **Athames**: A ceremonial dagger with a double-edged blade that is commonly used to direct energy.
* **Candles**: A block of solid wax with an embedded wick that is commonly lit to to amplify a witch’s spell.
* **Cauldrons**: A large metal pot that is commonly used to hold the ingredients for elixirs and potions.
* **Grimoires**: A family journal is documented with magical recipes, rituals, and spells. Grimoires can also be used as a Talisman to represent a witch.
* **Herbs**: Various flora used as ingredients to be incorporated into spells as binding agents.
* **Stones**: Various minerals and ores used to boost or bind a witch's spell.
* **Symbols**: Seals drawn or written used as physical representations of spells.
* **Talismans**: An object that is used to magnify a witch's power and/or represent them supernaturally.

## Spells and Rituals

One of the defining characteristics of a witch is their ability to cast spells; a "spell" being the word used to signify the means employed to carry out a magical action. A spell could consist of a ritual action, a set of words, a verse, or any combination of these. For reasons unknown, the majority of spells used by practitioners of Spirit Magic and/or Traditional Magic are spoken in an ancient language similar to Latin. However, witches who practice other forms of magic have been known to use spells in different languages; for example, the Quarter witches of Los Angeles performs many of their spells in language similar to French Creole, while the ancient witch Christopher Chamberlain performs his spells using a language similar to Old Norse.

## Notable Witches

 Alexander Deveraux | Alexander Deveraux is a powerful ancestral witch of the Quarter. Alexander was partially responsible for the re-connection of the Ancestral Plane with the completion of the new Harvest and Reaping Rituals.
 Jessica Chamberlain | Jessica Chamberlain is the twin daughter of Adam Chamberlain and Hope Chamberlain
 Jupiter Chamberlain | Jupiter Chamberlain is the twin daughter of Adam Chamberlain and Hope Chamberlain.
 Dakota | Dakota is a witch. Currently, nothing is known about his history.
 Charlotte Chamberlain | Charlotte is the daughter of Christopher Chamberlain and werewolf Brooklyn Chamberlain. Charlotte has two older siblings; Adam and Cole.
 Christopher Chamberlain | Christopher is the son of Esther Chamberlain and is also one of the most powerful witches in history. After his transition into a hybrid, he continues to remain a powerful witch.
 Hope Chamberlain | Hope Chamberlain is a witch and also the adoptive daughter of Christopher.
 Jeffrey Cociarelli | Jeffrey Cociarelli is a witch, but fancies himself as a warlock.
 Winter Samedi | Winter is a mysterious young child who has ties to the Haitian voodoo Loa Baron Samedi. A young troublemaker, and the bestfriend to Madeline Chamberlain.

## Trivia

* Elizabeth Chamberlain "*is the most powerful witch in the world.*"
* Chamberlain Witches are well-known in the witch community. Considered one of the most powerful lineages of magic, many powerful spells have been linked to the blood of a Chamberlain witch, requiring a Chamberlain witch to successfully perform them.
* While the term "warlock" was originally used to differentiate the male witches from the female witches, it appears that "witch" is a gender-neutral term that applies to men and women. Christopher Chamberlain and Jeffrey Cociarelli are the only characters that have been referred to as warlocks.

## See also

*The **Witch** article uses material from the "Witch" article from the Vampire Diaires wiki at FANDOM and is licensed under the Commons Attribution-Share Alike License.*