Photokinesis

Photokinesis
Cordelia glows with her power.
Effect	Manipulate light.
Users	Ovu Mobani Shrouded Man Willow Rosenberg Tara Maclay Cordelia Chase
Appearances
Debut	"Dead Man's Party"
Last seen	Twilight, Part One

“Aradia, goddess of the lost, the path is murky, the woods are dense, darkness pervades, I beseech thee, bring the light.”

―Willow Rosenberg

Photokinesis was the ability to generate, project, or manipulate light. The creation of bright and colorful lights would usually occur as a result of a spell, but magic could also make light by itself.

Although light by itself was usually harmless, light conjured by magical means could have varying magical or physical damaging effects, or a combination of both, depending on the source of the light and the target.

Examples

Ovu Mobani

The Ovu Mobani, when possessing a host, could emit a blinding flash of light from its eyes that it used to immobilize enemies while in combat.

Shrouded Man

The Shrouded Man demonstrated a "light show" that appeared to act as a soul removal spell.

Willow and Tara

Both witches Willow and Tara were able to conjure light via spells.

• When Willow was trapped in the Alpha Delta frat house party during Halloween along with Buffy, Xander, and Oz when it was under the influence of the demon Gachnar, Willow insisted on using magic to locate other party-goers and find a way out despite her friends objections that Willow wasn't experienced enough. Willow created a small, floating fixture of light that resembled a firefly. This firefly then multiplied and attacked her due to her inexperience.

• When Willow and Tara searched the ruins of Sunnydale High School to find Riley, they found it too dark so Willow lit up the room with the incantation "fiat lux" followed by the breaking of a potion. According to Tara, the spell would've originally caused a "teeny tinker bell light," though Willow claimed she "tinkered with the tinker bell" to increase the amount of light generated.

• Tara magically created a small orb of light to find Xander and Willow after she and Anya were separated from the other two when they were attacked by the Hellion gang. This ball successfully located Xander and Willow while they were lost in the woods and then tracked them back to Tara and Anya.

• When Willow was teleported to an apartment in Kuala Lumper with her calling spell, she cast a spell with the incantation of "Thgil," which conjured a ball of light.

The Beacon

The Beacon emitted a blinding light which caused any being with any amount of non-demon DNA to incinerate and eventually become nothing more than ashes. When fully charged, the Beacon's light would cover a quarter mile radius.

Glorificus

Glorificus emitted a flash of light when she pushed her hands into the head of a victim to absorb their energy.

Cordelia Chase

When Cordelia became part-demon, she gained some form of photokinesis as a result. This manifested by causing her to glow with a bright aura of white light, which she could extend to people and objects around her. She unintentionally lit up the whole Hyperion Hotel when it was infested by sluks, restoring the building's power and destroying every sluk.

She later used it on Connor when he was attacking her, causing the blade of his knife to disintegrate and convincing him to stop. She inadvertently used it one more time just before ascending to a higher plane, causing time to freeze around her. She also allegedly used this power as a night light.

Light demon

Sophie and Lavinia approached their sister Edna to ask her for the Shard of Stronnos, a mystical artifact that could convert matter into energy and vice versa, so they could restore their lovers, which an unidentified light demon had transformed into beings of light and trapped in mirrors.

Appearances

• "Dead Man's Party"
• "Enemies"
• "Fear, Itself"
• "Hero"
• "No Place Like Home"
• "Out of My Mind"
• "Checkpoint"
• "Tough Love"
• "The Gift"
• "Bargaining, Part Two"
• "The Price"
• "Benediction"
• "Tomorrow"
• Twilight, Part One