The Witch's Art of Enchantment
I practice a Craft rarely discussed in modern Pagan communities or written about in books. In fact, the very mention of it evokes fear and hatred in many people. I'm an Enchanter. Enchantment is the art of manipulation through gesture, gaze, and glamour. It quite literally manipulates people: influences them to do something. Don't look at me like that! Do you honestly believe successful people got where they are just by being a good person? No! They put the 'fluence on their audience to sway them to their side. Nature is not all sunshine and rainbows, so neither is my Craft. During the Witch Trials & when we were being hunted like animals by those who hated us we had to defend ourselves. Witches' original Craft had to do with influencing people, casting glamours, Shapeshifting, & mesmerizing others.
It is atmospheric, it is the magic of ambience of shade and hue and tone.
Enchantment is at the very heart of Elfin magic. It is the key to Elfin and the Way of the Elves. The term Enchanter comes from the word "chant," which indicates the rhythmic interaction of a sound that intrigues and captivates, which is hypnotic and entrancing yet thrilling and enlivening at the same time. The enchanted are not dominated nor zombified as one might think of the hypnotic process but rather aroused and sweep away by the awakening of feelings and possibilities long dormant. Enchanters may do this in numerous ways, by the use of their voice, by music, by their dress and costume.
We "chant" by repeating the process continually... that is we are ever interested or pursuing our interests. - The Silver Elves
I particularly specialize in Mesmerism, further specializing in Shapeshifting & Personality Enchantment (aka Numenism).
Mesmerism:
All of life is composed of energy fields "formed" in varying ways. The Elfin Mesmerist has learned how to shift these waves creating transformations in the world and individuals around them. Mesmerists, while affecting all planes of being, functions particularly on the etheric planes, which are the energetic aspect of the physical plane. It is from that plane that they create waves that wash through and re-orient the connected bodies. Mesmerists speak to people through the light beaming from their eyes. They can affect others consciousness without the recipients knowing how it happens. They can caress a person without touching their physical body, massage them and realign their energy fields, removing blockages and getting their energy to flow freely. - The Silver Elves
Shapeshifting:
Shapeshifters have the ability to change their form at will. In the most dramatic sense they could turn into a bird or a wolf, etc. but usually their transformations are much more subtle and thus even more illusive. They are ultimate actors, changing their appearance, their posture, their aura in a few brief moments. They can appear to be others , they can appear to be no one at all, utterly unnoticable. In the forest you could not distinguish them from the trees and leaves, in the city they can be so average that they melt into a crowd with ease. They are the needle in the hay stack.
This cameleon ability of the Elfin Shapeshifter is not merely a superficial alternation of their physical appearance for as the Shapeshifter becomes more and more adept they can transmutate the underlying energy of their being creating changes that affect not only thems'elves but also those who come in contact with them. -The Silver Elves
Personality Enchantment (Numenism)
Numena or Teraphim are household or localize spirits. They guide, protect and aid those residing in a specific area, working from the astral and etheric planes of being. They find physical form often in statures or objects dedicated to them, which become their solid material body and their temple, so to speak. The Numenist is an artist, writer, scupltor and/or magician of such power that their creations take on a life of their own. To be a Numenist is to hold great magical power and thus it is best to use that power wisely... creating vehicles and drawing down spirits (invocation and evocation) who will benefit us all. - the Silver Elves
Personality Enchantments are spells which bring inanimate objects to life. It is to imbue things with consciousness to the point they become sentient. I do this with my music & songs. They become so full of life that they develop a personality and become living things. This is known as Animation Magick.
Enchantment is essentially the Magick of Mood: tone, setting, ambiance, & resonance. Enchanters are known for creating resonance between people, places, and objects. We can create magickal items such as Wands/Staves, athamés, cauldrons, etc by creating a resonance between the person and the object, and empowering the object with that ambiance. To empower the atmosphere with such energy is Glamourye. So, it's not all about manipulating or influencing people, but that is where it started.
Sources:
Enchantment: the Witch's Art of Manipulation through Gesture, Gaze, and Glamour by Peter Paddock
