The Sphinx Gate is more than immersive art.
It’s a rite of passage that invites you to unlock the wisdom of your challenges through curiosity, play, and peer support.
Featured in Forbes - at the forefront of emotional wellbeing through art. Forbes Magazine ↗
Every human carries a riddle. A thought, a feeling, something we can’t quite name - that keeps us feeling stuck. The world we live in wasn’t designed to help us unlock it. If anything, it was built to keep us distracted and looking away.
We believe this is the root of most of the world’s problems.
Looking within is the antidote. And when we frame that journey as a game, as a quest, as an adventure held by community - the inner work stops feeling like work. It becomes something people actually want to do. That is what Sphinx Gate is built for.
Our mission To make inner work irresistible - through portals of art, ritual, and community that invite us to be more deeply human together.
Our vision A world where the map and tools for self-trust are available to all - and inner coherence becomes the foundation for what we build together.
“The Sphinx Gate broke new ground by offering a mythic rite of passage that invited participants to unlock the riddles of their own inner lives… deep psychological work doesn’t always have to be heavy. By integrating ritual, community, and a genuine sense of play, the creators made the experience accessible - and even fun - for modern seekers.”Forbes Magazine ↗
Two 34-foot monumental sculptures, built modularly for travel and future placement at major festivals and permanent sites. Debuted at Burning Man 2025 where they received the festival’s largest honoraria. Currently being refined and redesigned as the team raises funds for completion and permanent deployment.
The full Sphinx Gate experience in a form that can go anywhere. Same four-portal journey, designed to be lightweight, scalable, and deployable in festivals, parks, conference centers, and public squares - wherever people gather. Already deployed at Everywhen Festival, Full Bloom Festival, and Design Science Regenera Festival in 2026, with more deployments scheduled. Available for booking.
An intimate rite of passage held in community - seekers uncover what lies in their own depths, witnessed by peers and guided by ceremony. Facilitated by founding artist Mareesa Stertz. Available for festivals, conferences, and community gatherings.
“It has truly been one of the most transformational and healing things I’ve ever done. Not only does it need to be at Burning Man - it needs to come to the larger community.”
Loni · Seeker, Burning Man 2025
“I thought I was coming to Burning Man to see DJs and art cars. I didn’t have it on my bingo card that I was going to have a transformative experience.”
Matt · Seeker, Burning Man 2025
“It demanded an exploration of self that was very surprising and rewarding.”
Matthew · Seeker, Burning Man 2025
“So easy and simple and well put together that it’s something anyone could do - even if they don’t have experience with shadow work.”
Lani · Seeker, Burning Man 2025
“The last week and a half I’ve just been so in the flow state, so open to new ideas. The Sphinx Gate was the catalyst.”
Matt · Seeker, Burning Man 2025
“Using your struggles and trauma as a teacher, as inspiration, as wisdom - rather than as baggage.”
Loni · Seeker, Burning Man 2025
The Mini Sphinx Portal’s second deployment, returning to the redwoods of Northern California. Trained peer supporters guided seekers through the four-portal ritual under festival lights.
The portable Sphinx Portal’s public debut. Proof that the ritual works off-playa - in a new field, with a new audience, with the same depth. The first answer to the question: does this travel?
Six years in the making. Two 34-foot monumental sculptures framing a ritual threshold. Over 2,400 seekers walked through. Winner of the largest honoraria grant Burning Man awarded that year. Image: World Wide Citizens.
A regional gathering and a working laboratory for the Sphinx Gate ritual. Quiet, close-knit, and full of conversation that fed the year that followed.
A prototype of the interactive elements that became the four-portal sequence. We tested what people would actually do when invited to name what they carried, and watched the gate take shape in their responses.
The first full experience prototype. Architect Jason Chase joined the team and led design vision for what would become the Big Sphinxes.
Experience it. Host it. Fund it. Build it.
Fund the installation, the road trips, and the people holding the space.
Support the work →Explore partnerships, research collaborations, and fundraising opportunities.
Start a conversation →Dispatches from the threshold, event dates, and invitations to participate.
Join the list →Donations are processed through our fiscal sponsor Givsum, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN 88-3852704). For tax-deductible giving - recommended for larger gifts - use the Givsum donation page. For everyday support, the GoFundMe is the fastest path.
