Kind of a random question - according to the lore, when you use a soul gem, are you transferring the soul to the item being enchanted, or are you tapping into some sort of mystical energy given off by the soul's release? Or is there something else going on, or does the lore actually say anything at all?

Reason I ask is I haven't really played around with enchanting (or any other crafting), but I'd like to with my mage. Now while the character isn't exactly "good," the idea of trapping a soul forever in, say, a pair of boots isn't the sort of thing she'd be keen on doing. Granted, I could say "screw the lore" and go with it, but I'm curious if it's ever been addressed.