By the time the clock strikes midnight on Halloween this coming Thursday, Americans are expected to have shelled out $12 billion to mark the occasion.

With its pagan origins, involving druids, ghosts, and goblins, among other things, there are Christians who deliberately ignore even the seemingly innocent aspects of the day. Then there are many of us who choose to focus on the happier side. Many churches even hold “harvest” festivals and invite children to dress up in fun costumes.

But sadly, there are far too many who view Halloween as something of a secular high holy day — especially an increasing number of young people. Included among these would be “Wiccans” and “witches” — members of a paganistic religion that dates to the 1950s and took hold in the United States in the 1960s and 1970s.

According to the Encyclopedia Britannica:

“Wiccan rituals typically take place in a practitioner’s home, often at night, rather than in purpose-built structures. They take place in a circle, at one end of which is an altar. Common ritual tools include a censer of incense, a chalice, a pentacle, a wand, and a knife known as an athame, which is not used to draw blood. Some Wiccans perform rituals naked (or “skyclad”), while others wear robes or everyday clothing. Rituals are typically described as magical, designed to focus the willpower of the assembled Wiccans in the belief that doing so will bring about a desired change in the physical universe, commonly for healing or to assist those in need.”

Originally published in Higher Ground.