Power Binding

Power Binding
Power information
Effects	To neutralize one's powers
Trigger	Through spells or potions
Category	Supportive Power

Piper: "Someone, I won't say who, has the insane notion of binding our child's powers."

Leo: "Why is it insane? Grams bound your powers when you were a child."

Piper: "Yes, and we spent twenty odd years ignorant about our destiny. I look back on those normal days and I feel like I was a complete and total fraud."

— Piper and Leo discussing the possibility of binding their child's powers.

Power Binding, also known as Binding, is a term for neutralizing a being's powers, including their ability to cast spells. This method can be performed by means of spells or a binding potion.

Unlike Power Stripping, a binding process can be undone by the following: a reversal spell, a counter-potion or the death of the caster. The process is known as unbinding.

History

The Charmed Ones

The Dominus Trinus spell that will unbind The Charmed Ones' powers.

"What? I unbound your powers without having broken the pact? Why would I do that? I mean unless I died which of course would automatically... unbind your powers. I guess I'm not going to make it to the next millennium, huh?"

—Penny Halliwell discovers that the sisters' powers were returned automatically, meaning she died.

Penny Halliwell bound her granddaughters' powers right after Phoebe was born, in order to protect them from evil. In 1998, she died of cardiac arrest, but her granddaughters' powers were not unlocked until six months later due to Phoebe moving to New York soon after she died and not returning until then. Under the full moon, Phoebe was mysteriously led to the attic by the Spirit Board. While there, she found the Book of Shadows and read the first spell that unbound their powers.

The To Bind Spell

The To Bind spell

"But what about these? Okay, one to create money, to bend someone's will, to erase a memory, a binding spell."

—Prue mentioning the spell when flipping through the Book of Shadows.

In the alternate timeline of 2009, a spell was added to the Book of Shadows entitled "To Bind". Piper wanted to bind her daughter's powers with this spell, but changed her mind at the last minute.

The Evil Enchantress

The Evil Enchantress discovers her powers are bound.

"Well, then fine. We won't vanquish her. We'll bind her powers and send her back in time, hopefully a virgin."

—Piper and Phoebe decide to bind the Evil Enchantress' powers instead of vanquishing her.

Piper and Phoebe made the potion to bind the powers of Paige's past life, who was a powerful witch of the medieval times. They first wanted to vanquish her, but they wouldn't want to take the risk to lose Paige, since it was her Past Life and thus bound her powers instead.

Tyler Michaels

Tyler is very happy that his powers are bound.

"Alright, here you go. It'll bind your powers, it won't strip them but it'll bind them."

—Piper to Tyler as she hands him the potion.

Piper made a power binding potion for a firestarter named Tyler to keep him safe, much to his pleasure. His powers would be unbound five years later, due to a high level of fear.

The Source's Heir

When the Source's unborn son began taking over Phoebe's body from within the womb, Piper concocted a binding potion to stop the child from using its powers. She gave it to Phoebe, passing it off as ice tea, but the child quickly threw the potion against a wall as it sensed what it was.

Stillman Sisters

"If they become a nuisance, try a simple spell to bind their magic."

—The Book of Shadows on the Stillmans.

In 2003, the Charmed Ones bound the magic of the Stillman Sisters after their identities and powers were returned, and handed them over to the police for murdering a salesman and the residents who lived across the street from them.

Wyatt Halliwell

"And the only way they can be happy with each other first is agreeing to bind Wyatt's powers."

—Chris manipulating David Right.

Chris used David Right to manipulate the sisters into binding Wyatt's powers, but before this plan could take action, they were interrupted by an attack.

Tamora and Kat Mitchell

After Tamora set the house on fire with Molecular Acceleration, Henry wanted the twins' powers to be bound until they grew old enough to learn how to control it. They eventually did.

Neena

The Charmed Ones, along with the spirits of their matriarchs, used a potion and a spell to bind Neena's power. The Power of Three wasn't enough because Neena was the first witch ever created and therefore required more power. They eventually received from the entire Warren line.

Notes and Trivia

• Jeremy Burns waited months before attacking the Charmed Ones when their powers were unbound, suggesting that warlocks would be unable to steal a witch's active powers if they were bound.
• It's possible that this process only applies to a witch's active powers since Phoebe was able to cast the Dominus Trinus spell at the start of the season. However, it's likely that one could also bind someone's basic powers as well because, since the Evil Enchantress and Stillman Sisters had their powers forcibly bound as a way of preventing them from causing further harm, they could still pose a threat by casting spells. 
• While the only beings to have had their powers bound were witches and archai, it's possible that the same can be done to demons since Phoebe threatens to do so to a Manticore Baby in "Little Monsters".