Conversations with Dom Pacheco

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dom Pacheco.

Hi Dom, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Queer Catholic Mystic began with a devotion to healing and self-development.

My mission is to help my clients improve their lives. I’m a 5th generation Guadalupana and proud Chicano born in Denver, Co.. Braiding together the strands of Catholicism, Folk-Magic, and Spiritism to create a safe space for queer folks & recovering Catholics to heal, explore, and grow.

I developed a style of folk-catholicism that centers queerness, magic, and faith.

I work to break down the barriers to spirituality for my clients, using peer-reviewed scholarship to dismantle hateful beliefs within Catholic doctrine. Folks who work with me are empowered to develop a personal practice that’s fulfilling. They want something real, something grounded, and something magical.

I was raised catholic, attending weekly mass and Sunday school for the majority of my childhood. I left the church at 16. After my (unbeknownst to me) sexuality became apparent to the clergy, I ended up on the receiving end of many homophobic rants and passive-aggressive sermons.

I spent many years as an atheist and briefly dabbled in new-age practices with no sense of spiritual fulfillment. Inspired by my late Grandma, I rediscovered my folk-catholic roots. With Our Lady of Guadalupe as my guide, I dove into catholic Mysticism. Desperate to find answers to the church’s corruption and hate by channeling the Saints I learned about while growing up. I found compassion, joy, and a radically new perspective on religion.

In my work now, I focus on the practicality of religion, highlighting the possibilities for mystic exploration while condemning the toxicity of church dogma. My priority, as a spiritual advisor, is finding magic in the mundane & imbuing faith into daily life. My folk magic practice is rooted in the southwest US, my Mexican heritage, and my Chicano identity. I’ve devoted myself to over a decade of exploration and study. Learning from traditions like curanderismo, spiritism, and brujeria to better serve my community.

As a medium, I believe that our Good Spirits have the ability to co-create our best life. Every Consultation is a Ceremony. I utilize Catholic and spiritist prayers to summon and speak with the Good Spirits: ancestors, Spirit Guides, and Deities. I love tarot and oracle cards, but find particular joy in prayer-card divination. BE WARNED, my spirits are jokesters. Expect to be read for filth!

Our home is located at the crossroads, where creation and destruction intersect. I’ve created a safe environment for each of us to explore religion and spirituality without fear. I struggled alone to find my spiritual footing. Following the longing desire to understand the religion I was raised in without compromising my queerness OR my magic. If I can help even a single soul not struggle the same way, I’m satisfied. I do this work not just for my healing but for all of ours.

Queer Catholic Mystic is the only Spiritual advisor, in Denver, taking a radically inclusive approach to all things spiritual. Providing deconstructive education and personalized consultations to help our clients develop a fulfilling spiritual practice.

When you’re ready to explore the realms of magic & mystery, Queer Catholic Mystic is here to help!
Like any good spirit guide, QCM meets you where you’re at.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Going against the Catholic Church is never an easy cross to carry.
My journey began with violence. Hatred. Fear.

The clergy charged with my spiritual development saw a queerness in me worthy of condemnation. Verbally beating me straight with circular, long-winded sermons on the morality of sin. The weekly experience of my Sunday school beratement made me flee the church and the faith altogether.

Of course, aging doesn’t minimize the homophobia I receive. Advertising myself as queer & catholic was always intended to cause waves. In that sense, I expect to ruffle feathers. The genuine hate many Christians have for queer folks is pervasive. It’s a sign of the religion’s descent into fascism. I get a lot of hate across social media. Mostly rooted fanatic adherence to dogma or an inaccurate belief that I’m preaching heresy. Most Christians are conditioned to assume attacks against the church are attacks against the faith and god. They couldn’t be more wrong. It’s only through the deconstruction of the current, corrupted model of belief that we can build a truly fulfilling and sustainable faith.

The church’s religion felt fake. Ornate but vapid. However, the faith I saw my Grandma wield was real.

In so many ways, she’s the reason I do what I do. I want to teach people how to uncover that faith within themselves.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
QCM’s holy unique perspective on mysticism is something I’m abundantly proud of. I offer spiritual consultations blending tarot and a traditional plactica, making ceremonies out of conversation. In these 1:1 spaces, clients find direction, reassurance, humor, and the magic they need.

I do it all, from psychic readings to spell-casting to religious education.

The last thing I want is overly dependent clients. To that end, I offer my knowledge rather than gatekeeping my braided spirituality; I teach others to create their own. I offer a 9-lesson course called “Mystic Catechism,” which presents, unpacks, and reframes the core principles of the Catholic Faith. I take clients through the entirety of the catechism (which is basically Catholicism 101), encouraging each student to cherry-pick what resonates with them without misrepresenting Catholicism.

I’m known for being a Marian Devotee ( a Guadalupana, more specifically). I offer small classes called Micro-lectures, which hone in on overlooked mystical aspects of Catholicism. My micro-lecture, Magnifying Mother Mary, explains the Hail Mary prayer, exploring the cultural context present and fully unpacking the meaning and intention of the prayer before encouraging students to make it their own. I have a larger course on Mariology coming out in late 2025 as well.

What do you like and dislike about the city?
I love Denver, I was raised in the northside projects, near Horseman High School. So I just feel connected to the city in my bones. I’m at least 50% green chili at this point.

The pervasive shadow of gentrification and the never-ending construction are almost the only things I don’t like about the city. I don’t even mind lunchtime traffic jams on I-25!

I was born in Denver, brought up on this land. It’s to this land I’ll return.

Pricing:

• Spiritual Consultations range from $80-$160
• Micro-Lectures range from $12- $44
• Courses range from $222-$888
• Prints & Prayer Books range from $12- $25
• Subscriptions like Patreon & Substack start at $5-$8 a month!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://queercatholicmystic.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/queercatholicmystic/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@queercatholicmystic
• Other: https://queercatholicmystic.substack.com/

Image Credits
Photo Credit: Dom Pacheco