Gateway Stories and Insights
What Are Gateway Moments?
We are all sentient beings; there is no doubt about it. We experience those ‘strange’ moments when we say, “I knew you were going to say that!” Or, “Wait a minute, I’ve been here before and I knew this was going to happen!”
As fleeting as these are, they represent something profound.
What is your gateway moment, and how did it manifest for you? As you immerse yourself in the narratives of the following blog posts, consider—in the Contact section of the site—sharing your moment (s) with me. If you are open to it, I can publish your experience in the next blog.
I am interested in your story!
Things That Carry Transformative Energy
By: Ellen Bennett-August 2025
Consider this short list of gateway objects.
Personal items with emotional imprints:
Wedding rings—Carry decades of love, loss, commitment, and betrayal
Old Photographs—Frozen moments that reveal hidden family secrets
Handwritten letters—Messages across time containing unspoken truths
Musical Instruments—Holding the emotional resonance of every song played.
Childhood Toys—Retaining the pure energy of innocence and wonder
Jewelry Passed Down—Heirloom pieces carrying generational wisdom and trauma.
Books with Margin Notes—Previous owners’ thoughts bleeding through to new readers
Keys to Unknown Locks—Physical and metaphorical doorways waiting to be opened
Medical and Healing Objects
Vintage Medical Equipment—Stethoscopes, surgical tools, holding memories of life and death
Healing Crystals—Ancient stones programmed with intention and energy
Traditional Medicine Pouches—Herbal remedies carrying ancestral knowledge
Hospital Bracelets—Plastic bands making moments of vulnerability and transformation
Artistic and Creative Vessels
Paintbrushes Used by Masters—Tools that channeled creative genius
Typewriters—Machines that birthed stories and held the energy of creation
Dance Shoes—Slippers and boots that moved through decades of expression
Sheet Music—Compositions that unlock emotional memories and abilities
Everyday Objects with Hidden Power
Vintage Mirrors—Reflecting not just an image, but soul and truth
Old Clocks—Timepieces that can show past, present, and future simultaneously
Antique Bottles—Containers that held more than liquid—hopes, dreams, intentions
Found Stones and Shells—Natural objects charged by ocean energy and human touch
In my book, The Heart-Shaped Stone, you will find several of these transformative items in the narratives. For instance, in Misplaced, Celeste finds handwritten letters that reveal unspoken truths when she opens an old cologne bottle. In Three Voices, Dr. Jorja finds answers to her grief through her stethoscope. In The Heart-Shaped Stone, Jean finds a stone, reads the signs from the stone, and returns it to its rightful owner.
How many times have you gone through drawers and found some of these items?
Why do we keep them?
Why don’t we part with them?
They are there to remind us, to keep us connected.
5 Signs You’ve Experienced a Gateway Moment
by: Ellen Bennett- July 2025
Most people dismiss these experiences as imagination or coincidence. But what if they’re actually invitations to something extraordinary?
There is a considerable amount of research available on the paranormal, also known as psi. In his book, Entangled Minds, Dean Radin explains that psi, coined as a neutral term for psychic phenomena in 1942 by British psychologist Robert Thouless, refers to the 23rd letter of the Greek alphabet and is pronounced “sigh”. Psi is also the first letter of the Greek word psyche, meaning soul or mind. We know that the common psi experience includes telepathy, clairvoyance, precognition, clairaudience, and—on a much deeper level—psychokinesis (mind-matter interactions).
The transformative thresholds include (but aren’t limited to):
Sudden, Inexplicable Knowing
You know something without being told—the history of a place, a person’s emotional state, or what’s about to happen. This isn’t logical deduction; it’s instant, complete knowledge that arrives fully formed in your mind. Like the protagonist Celeste in the story Misplaced, who opens a pipe-shaped cologne bottle and immediately senses a shift, a knowing that feels both foreign and absolutely certain.
Physical Sensations Without Physical Cause
A vertiginous shift, increased heart rate, a quick disassociation with immediate surroundings, a cramp in the gut, skin-crawling, or chills. These are a few of the attributes of deeper awareness. The characters in my book, The Heart-Shaped Stone, experience these each time they cross a psi portal.
Time Feels Different
Seconds stretch into minutes, or hours collapse into moments. During gateway experiences, time seems to stand still. You might have a profound realization that feels like it lasted for hours, only to discover mere seconds have passed—or lose track of time entirely during what feels like a brief moment.
Heightened Emotional Resonance
Emotions that aren’t your own wash over you—grief for someone you’ve never met, joy connected to events you didn’t experience, or deep compassion for situations you only just encountered. It’s as if you’re temporarily tuning into emotional frequencies that extend beyond your personal experience.
Everything Changes Afterward
Gateway moments create a permanent shift in how you see the world. You may become more intuitive, empathetic, or simply more aware of the subtle energies surrounding you. The change isn’t always dramatic, but they are lasting. Recognizing these signs isn’t about proving anything supernatural. It’s about honoring your own experiences and staying open to the deeper connections that surround us every day. When we dismiss these moments, we close ourselves off from valuable information and meaningful connections. When we acknowledge them, we open ourselves to a richer, more intuitive way of moving through the world. If any of these signs feel familiar, trust that recognition. You don’t need to understand the mechanism or convince anyone else. Gateway moments are deeply personal experiences that invite you to expand your awareness and deepen your connection to the world around you. The next time you experience one of these signs, instead of dismissing it, try sitting with it.
What is this moment inviting you to notice?
What threshold might you be crossing?
-FEATURED GATEWAY STORY-
June, 2025
A Christmas Encounter That Changed Everything
As told by Craig Mitchell Smith, Glass Artist
When I was younger, I lived near Chicago. It was Christmas, and all I wanted to do was to go downtown and check out the decorated department store windows. It was a tough time in my life, and I needed cheerfulness, color, and the spirit of Christmas to distract me. My friend Frank, who was an insurance actuary and not given to flights of fancy, and I joined the bustle to admire the beautifully designed holiday displays in the front windows of Marshall Field's on State Street.
After a few minutes, I felt someone standing very near to me, crowding my space. I turned to see a tall, thin man in a white suit. He leaned toward my ear and whispered, “Do you believe in magic or do you have to be shown?” I did not have time to respond because as quickly as he appeared, he disappeared.
Frank, who had been standing about ten feet away from me, rushed over and said, “What was all that smoke about?”
“Smoke?” I questioned.
“Yes, like a vapor!”
I did not see a vapor; I saw a man in a white suit.
Craig went on to explain that the experience shaped his future. He is a self-taught, highly motivated glass artist who is driven by the forces and beauty of nature. His work has been—and is currently displayed—in installations around the country. He is exuberant, driven, and believes in the signs.
How Gateway Moments Work in The Heart-Shaped Stone Stories
by Ellen Bennett, June 2025
Gateway moments are threshold experiences where the ordinary world reveals its extraordinary nature, fundamentally changing how a person perceives reality and themselves. They represent the precise instant when someone crosses from one state of being into another—often without the ability to return to their previous understanding. The gateway moment is both the portal (the specific trigger, object, or experience that opens the door) and the crossing (the irreversible transformation that occurs when someone steps through). Think of it like a physical gateway: there’s the door itself (the structure that makes crossing possible) and the act of walking through it (the movement from one space to another). You can’t separate them—they’re a part of the same transformative event.
“Misplaced”— The Cologne Bottle Gateway
The Gateway Object: Pipe-shaped cologne bottle with residual psychic imprint. The Moment: Celeste inhales the scent and experiences sudden dizziness and loss of vision. The Transformation: Awakening of clairvoyant abilities and discovery of true parentage. Why It’s a Gateway: The bottle serves as both a trigger and a portal—it contains the energy needed for transformation and provides the pathway to accessing hidden family history.
“Three Voices”—the Stethoscope Gateway
The Gateway Object: Medical stethoscope (symbol of diagnosing and connection). The Moment: Dr. Jorja Lourdes hears voices through the instrument during patient examination. The Transformation: Clairaudient abilities emerge, allowing her to solve crimes and process grief. Why It’s a Gateway: The stethoscope represents the bridge between life and death, sound and silence—it becomes a conduit for hearing beyond the veil.
“The Heart-Shaped Stone”—The Lost Object Gateway
The Gateway Object: Heart-shaped stone carrying emotional imprint. The Moment: Jean holds the stone and receives psychometric visions. The Transformation: Understanding of her role as a connector and healer. Why It’s A Gateway: The stone embodies the connection between people across time and space—it’s literally shaped like a heart, representing the emotional bridges Jean helps create.
“The Owl Keeper”—The Truth Gateway
The Gateway Experience: Discovering that the ‘haunted’ house is actually a sanctuary. The Moment: Teenagers realize their assumptions about fear and the unknown were wrong. The Transformation: From curiosity-driven children to adults who understand the consequences of disrupting sacred things. Why It’s a Gateway: The house itself is a portal from fantasy to reality.
What are your moments?