Telepathy

**Telepathy** is the power to access the mind of other beings. It is generally an "umbrella" term used to refer to any ability pertaining to projecting, reading or manipulating the mind.

## Overview

This power is directly related to the mind and, at the very basic level, allows its user to access the mind of other beings. There are various telepathic abilities, all involving projecting or reading thoughts and manipulating the mind. This power can be channeled through the hands or the eyes. With the exception of a few demons, most users tend to channel their power through their hands. Additionally, certain aspects of telepathy can be accessed through the usage of spells and potions.

## Branches of Telepathy

### Desire Sensing

Desire Sensing is the power to telepathically sense the greatest, innermost desire of another person. The only known user of this ability was the demon, Viralis, who used it to look into the minds of vulnerable women to figure out what they desired, giving him the opening that he needed to manipulate them into surrendering to him. In "*Surrender*", Viralis was able to use his telepathic power to sense Maggie Vera's desire simply by cupping his hands at each side of her face. This seemingly allowed him to look into her mind, finding that she had the desire for a love that will never leave her.

### Empathic Telepathy

Empathic Telepathy (or Telepathic Empathy) is a form of telepathy that can be accessed through empathy, the ability to sense and feel the emotions of others. As people's thoughts are often influenced by their emotions, an empath's power may extend to allow its user to read minds too, acting as a mixture of both empathy and telepathy. Users of this power are also able to project their thoughts into the minds of another being and conduct telepathic conversations. Some beings, such as the Unnamed Imposter Demon that impersonated Marisol Vera, are immune to this power. If the feelings of the user are blocked, this ability will become ineffective. In "*Pilot*", Maggie gained this ability after her powers were unbound. However, she lost access this power in "*Safe Space*", after her aura was stripped.

### Memory Erasure

Memory Erasure is the power to erase the memories of others. The user must be physically close to a person whose memories they wish to wipe. They then hold their hand toward the target and a glowing white light will emit from the hand while the power is active. This power is presumed to be possessed by all Whitelighters, including Whitelighter-Witches as it has been shown to be used by Harry Greenwood and Jada Shields, but it is also possible for witches to develop this power such as Charity Callahan.

### Mental Manipulation

Mental/Mind Manipulation, sometimes referred to as Mind Control, is a collective term referring to several powers that relate to manipulating or controlling another being's mentality, such as their thoughts and actions. Many magical beings are shown to possess some skill at manipulating the minds of others, most prominently demons and other evil beings.

#### Hypnosis

Hypnosis is the power to place other beings into a hypnotic state of consciousness, allowing the user to control their actions. This power may require an opening in order to be used, often times an emotional state. The demon Viralis, for instance, needed to be able to sense the desire of his victim in order to able to place them under his control. His form of hypnosis also required a source of sustenance in order to remain effective, as Viralis kept his victims docile by feeding them his demonic blood. The ancient monster, Omon, was able to place young women under his hypnosis by uttering the words "*mepte ama*", causing them to sacrifice their loved ones in the name of love for him.

#### Mesmerism

Mesmerism is the demonic power to control a person through eye contact. The users of this power are known as mesmerists. Mesmerizing someone requires eye contact, but once the mesmerist has succeeded, they will be able to dictate exactly what they want their victims to do. Victims can break the trance by intentionally harming themselves before the mesmerist has completed. A mesmerist can also impart post-mesmerism effects, such as specific actions when given certain keywords. The demon Alastor was a skilled mesmerist, earning himself the moniker of "the Dark Master", and was able to mesmerize even an Elder, Charity Callahan, to do his bidding. Callum was also capable of mesmerizing others.

#### Persuasion

Persuasion (or Suggestion) is the power to implant subtle suggestions into a person's mind in order to manipulate their actions and affect the way they think at the moment. The power often takes advantage of the victim's deepest emotions, such as fear, and their desires in order to make them vulnerable to the suggestions. Heightened emotional states, such as intense anger or depression, can give the users better control over their victims. Brenda Mancini, for example, was able to manipulate Kappa sisters after becoming a ghost in order to make them die in the same way that she did, and used her victim's current emotional state, usually a strong sense of betrayal, to force them to act on her will.

#### Thought Manipulation

Thought Manipulation is an expansion of the telepathic branch of empathy, allowing users to subtly influence the minds of other beings with their thoughts. While not exactly the same as mesmerizing others, an empath can use their power to get through to people; Maggie Vera discovered that she can use her empathic powers to break trances placed on others via both pixie dust and control shackles, allowing the victims to snap out of the control placed on them.

### Mind Melding

Mind Melding is the demonic power to delve into a being's subconscious, bringing them and the user into the depths of their mind. According to the demon-witch Abigael Jameson-Caine, this power is common in the Caine family, she herself having inherited it from her father. It has been shown that users who possess this ability, can also scan through a person's memories, seeing flashes of what the individual has seen and experienced. In "*The Rules of Engagement*", Parker Caine used this power on his then-fiancée Maggie Vera to review her most recent memories. Fenric the Vile, despite having been in exile for thousands of years, is a skilled user of this power, capable of scanning through two minds at one time. Vivienne Laurent, a mortal, demonstrated this power after wielding the Prism.

### Telepathic Immobilization

Telepathic Immobilization is the power to telepathically stop another person's consciousness, causing the individual to become motionless in their current place. Once "unfrozen", the individuals continue as if they were never frozen with no memory of it. This ability only affects the human mind, as animals are immune to the effects.
 In "*Breaking the Cycle*", a young witch named Cassie was able to telepathically freeze all of the mortals on Foster Island when she was being kidnapped, but she did not know how to unfreeze them until Harry Greenwood advised her on how to properly channel her power.

### Sensing

Sensing is the ability to telepathically sense the status or location of others. This power can greatly enhance a being's senses, allowing them to track down their targets with relative ease. Whitelighters can sense the location of their charges in order to travel to them, as well as work in allowing their charges to call out to them, while the Harbinger of Hell could sense whether a person was a virgin and hunt them down. Necromancers are able to sense a soul that they have resurrected, simply by smelling them.

## Known Users

Original Power
* The Sacred Flame/The Source of All Evil
* Demons
	+ Harbinger of Hell
	+ Viralis
	+ Callum
	+ Caine Family
		- Alistair Caine
		- Abigael Jameson-Caine
		- Parker Caine (formerly)
		- Hunter Caine (never shown)
	+ Imposter Demons
		- Unnamed Imposter Demon
* Witches
	+ Maggie Vera (formerly)
	+ Sacred Grove Witch
	+ Cassie
	+ Cassie's Mother (presumably)
	+ Charity Callahan
	+ Fiona Callahan
* Whitelighters
	+ Harry Greenwood (formerly)
* Whitelighter-Witches
	+ Jada Shields
* Spirits
	+ Brenda Mancini
* Omon
* The Perfecti

Through spell, artifact, power stealing, etc.
* Macy Vaughn (merged with the Source; relinquished)

## Trivia

* When the reboot first premiered, the fans believed this to be Maggie Vera's primary power, but later the writers clarified that Maggie's mind-reading abilities were an extension of her empathy (the ability to feel emotions).
* In "*Red Rain*", Fiona Callahan was seen using some sort of telepathy when a rune appeared on her forehead, allowing her to listen to a conversation between Maggie Vera and Parker Caine. It is possible that this was achieved through a some nonverbal spell or Remote Hearing.
* In "*The Rules of Engagement*", it was revealed that demonic users of Zagan's Dagger can control the minds of their brides after performing a dark wedding ritual, but it is not known exactly how this control should have looked like in case of successful completion.