Ex-witch says its OK for Christians celebrate Halloween but should avoid 'web of darkness'
Correction Appended
Halloween can be a divisive topic for Christians as some see the festivities as mixing "light with darkness," while others view it as a time for merry enjoyment as children stockpile candy with their friends and dress up in their favorite costumes.
Some Christians who came to Christ after fleeing from witchcraft see Halloween as a day that reminds them of a time in their lives they're trying to leave behind.
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The Christian Post interviewed two individuals who dabbled in or explored witchcraft to varying levels before they ultimately surrendered their lives to Jesus. They shared their differing perspectives of Halloween and detailed their complicated paths to Christ. While one says she's OK with Christians celebrating Halloween as it's predominantly done today, the other outright opposes the observance.
'I look at Halloween a little bit differently'
Selah Ally Tower, the author of Taken from the Night: A Witch's Encounter with God, told CP in an interview that when she thinks about Halloween, she can't help but remember how nearly a decade of her life was spent engaging in occult practices such as witchcraft, divination and necromancy.
Tower, a New Jersey resident in her late 50s, who was raised in a traditional Christian home, said she doesn't believe Halloween is always an inherently evil day. And she doesn't think Christians should avoid participating because the holiday can be innocent and fun.
"The preferred method among Christians is to say that Halloween is an evil holiday. We all want to rally against evil, and that's great because we should. We're not supposed to be in any way following in the works of darkness. But I look at Halloween a little bit differently because I was involved firsthand in the occult," Tower said.
"I know what a Samhain ritual is like. I know that it's nothing like Halloween. Any Halloween party I've ever been to, it's nothing like a ritual. Kids trick-or-treating is nothing like a ritual. That's not what they do on Halloween. Kids aren't even part of it. I understand the concern with darkness, but I think a lot of times, we're forgetting who our God is," Tower continued.
"We're forgetting how big our God is, and we're giving a day to Satan that's not rightfully his. The Bible says that 'the Lord God made every day' and that we 'should be joyful and glad in every day that He has made.' He's the Creator. Satan is an imitator. Who is Satan to claim a day? And who am I to give it to him?"
Some view Halloween as "evil and demonic" because of how it originated from the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. The celebration was traditionally held halfway between the autumn equinox and winter solstice. It is seen as a period when the veil separating the world and the spirit realms is at its thinnest.
'Coming in agreement with darkness'
Unlike Tower, Herminia Galvez, a mother of two in California who previously explored witchcraft but never became a full-blown witch, told CP she opposes Halloween because she sees those who observe the day as "coming in agreement with darkness."
"On that day, people are able to communicate more with demons and evil spirits because of the thinner veil. People use Halloween as a day to promote the occult and to do more rituals and more sacrifices. They sacrifice animals, and they do more chants and more spells," Galvez told CP in an interview.
"When you're allowing your children to participate in Halloween, it opens doors to demonic things in your life and in their lives, which can be more dangerous than you might ever realize."
Before coming to Christ, Galvez says she used to mingle "in the occult and new age" and was in the process of growing deeper into becoming a witch. She never cast any spells on people, she clarified.
Galvez pushes back on churches and Christian families that "make excuses" to have Halloween festivities with their children by claiming they can share the Gospel while still celebrating Halloween.
"The reality is that when you're allowing your children to think it's OK, you're desensitizing your children to evil things, and you're hindering their ability to discern what is darkness and what is light. Your children will think it's fine to mix darkness with light," Galvez said.
"If your children think celebrating Halloween is OK because you taught them that, they are more likely to tell the next generation the same thing. And this will continue on for generations," Galvez added, calling on Christian parents to put an end to this "harmful generational deception."
"You're dressing them up as witches. You're dressing them up as demons. You're dressing them up as this and as that, and you're also allowing them to see all this evil stuff going on outside," she added. "There's a lot of people that dress up like demons, and they're really truly demonized inside. The Word says that 'we have to be careful what comes into our eyes and what comes into our ears.'"
Galvez, who has an 11-year-old son and a 10-year-old daughter, said she previously allowed her children to participate in Halloween. She once believed that as long as her children didn't do any demonic rituals — similar to what she once saw others do when she was mingling in the occult and Santeria — the holiday could be innocent.
But last year, she felt convicted by God about how "harmful" the day can be.
"I put my foot down last year, and I will do the same this year. I used to be like other parents who say, 'They just want to have fun with their friends.' But last year, I said: 'No more. I'm done. I am not going to be part of any of it. I come out of agreement with Satan,'" Galvez said.
Galvez said she has since repented by asking God for forgiveness for herself and on behalf of her children for their previous observance of Halloween.
Entangled in a 'web of evil'
Although she is not outright opposed to Halloween, Tower believes Christians still need to be extra vigilant to avoid not becoming entangled in what she called "a web of evil and darkness."
She said there are three main things that Christians should avoid that can potentially turn Halloween from "innocent" into an "evil" occult ritual.
"No. 1 is idolatry because you're calling on other gods and goddesses specifically this time of year: the Crone goddess and the horned god. You're either worshiping them in a way, or you could be invoking them down into your sacred space, or some people even invoke them within the high priest and high priestess. When you're doing that, we're talking about demon possession," Tower said.
"You don't find that in your typical Halloween parties. You're not doing rituals where you're invoking demons into your circle or into individuals."
Tower said another practice that can make Halloween demonic is divination or seeking answers from demonic forces or spirits.
"Divination is a very big part of the Samhain rituals because it is the time of the year when they think that the veil is the thinnest. Divination happens with more clarity during this time, and it's also a time when spirits can roam freely back and forth," Tower said.
"Divination is a big part of Samhain rituals and, specifically, with crystal gazing and water in a cauldron and black mirrors. But divination it's always a part of that ritual — which, of course, is against the Bible, which says we're to refrain from divination. We have questions or answers, we go to God. We don't go to other sources that are not of God."
Tower also warned about necromancy, communicating with the dead.
"Necromancy can either be something as simple as honoring your ancestors, or it could go a little bit further into inviting them to participate in a ritual. There's what's called a dumb supper, where they set up a dish for a [dead] relative to come and you have a feast. Because after the Samhain ritual, there's always a big feast," Tower said.
"There's a table setting set up for your lost relative to come and dine, and some will attempt to communicate with them, which is a bit further necromancy. Many witches think that when people die for the first year, some of them can get stuck between the worlds. And this time of the year, many witches will actually do rituals to help their dead relatives find their way to the other world," she continued.
"We know from the Bible that when someone dies, they either go to Heaven or Hell. They don't stay in limbo, wandering around waiting for somebody to show them the way. That's against God. There's also some witches who will go as far as doing divination with the dead."
Nicole Alcindor is a reporter for The Christian Post.
