Very cool flames, looks like an incantation to me. Bad me, I don't understand your illusion...(maybe magic as an illusion? Magic is real! Slight of Hand is an illusion!) Don't worry, I like this photo so much, I will still give it an 8. Swash
i had to look up your title in the dictionary, just to make sure i wasn't missing it (who said we'd only learn about photography here? ;)
anyway, you may not agree with my definition of the challenge, but i don't see the illusion in yours. the fire seems real enough. i don't think you are meeting the challenge. sorry. gr8photos.
from dictionary.com: Ritual recitation of verbal charms or spells to produce a magic effect. A formula used in ritual recitation; a verbal charm or spell. A conventionalized utterance repeated without thought or aptness; a formula: the pious incantations of the administration.