Witchcraft & Catholicism

About Our Speakers: Voga & Ry of The Red Text Podcast

Voga- 

Voga (she/they/he) is a Queer folk Catholic mystic, witch, and psychic born and raised in Los Angeles, CA. Being a child of Filipino and Spanish ancestry, Voga's work revolves around folk practices and traditions comprised of Marian devotion, saint Magick, necromancy, and cultivating community through vendor showcases and events. Voga (@vogailumicente) specializes in divination work, including cartomancy (tarot/oracle), pendulum, and bibliomancy, as well as spiritual cleansing and novena candle magick. 

Stemming from their upbringing of religious conditioning, Voga is a fierece deconstructionist of institutionalized religion and is a part of a vast and diverse community of folk practitioners reconstructing what it means to be Catholic. Through the publication of The Red Text Podcast (@theredtextpodcast) alongside their co-host Ry (@themestizomystic), they are making Catholic mysticism and magick part of the larger occult conversation, while bringing forth experience, knowledge, and perspective. 

Ry- 

Ry (they/he) is a Queer multicultural folk Catholic practitioner born and raised in the Bay Area and is based in San Fransisco. Their multicultural background consisting of Filipino, Mexican, and European/Spanish descent lends to the many ways in which their folk Catholicism is expressed through their various ancestral roots. Their Latine ancestry has also led to Ry learning and incorporating practices such as Mexican Brujeria and folk healing (Curanderismo) into their practice as well. Ry is a devout devotee of La Virgen de Guadalupe, La Santa Muerte, and a handful of saints and angels. Veneration, devotion, prayer, and contemplation lie at the core of Ry's daily practice. 

Born and raised Catholic, Ry has come full circle from deviating from the Catholic church in their late teens to now embracing Catholicism as the magickal sysyem that it truly is alongside practicing witchcraft. Through decolonizing the institutional and patriarchal aspects of Catholicism, Ry aims to express the importance of finding meaning and creating a magickal-spiritual practice that is personable and effective to the individual rather than adhering to the rules and dogma of religious institutions. As a co-host of The Red Text podcast with Voga, Ry aims to help others discover the inherent and powerful magick of Catholicism and how it can be practiced alongside other magick traditions. Additionally, Ry is a professional tarot reader and will soon be offering other magickal services such as novena candle spellwork, dream interpretation, and spiritual crafts.