Today we’d like to introduce you to Christal McElveen.
Hi Christal, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My journey began long before I had language for what I was experiencing. I was born and raised in religion, but even as a child, I questioned everything. I wanted to understand God beyond what I had been taught. I was also a big dreamer, I would dream and see things before they happened, but those experiences weren’t something that was supported or understood in my environment. So, like many people do, I learned to put that part of myself away.
As I became an adult, those experiences never completely stopped. I would occasionally share what I sensed or knew with people close to me, but even when those things later came to pass, the responses I received made me uncomfortable with that part of myself. Eventually, I remember telling God, “If this is supposed to be a gift, it feels more like a curse.” So I stopped talking about it, went into corporate America, and lived my life. I eventually left the church, but I never stopped praying or believing in God. I simply knew my relationship with God had to be bigger than a building.
Then December 31, 2016 changed my life.
My grandmother transitioned. She was more than my grandmother, she helped raise me, she was my best friend, my ride or die, and one of the most important people in my world. Her death happened so quickly that it caused me to question everything I thought I knew about God, life, death, and what happens beyond this physical experience.
I fell into a deep depression without even realizing that was what I was experiencing. I come from a generation where we didn’t always name those things; we kept moving. For more than two years, I existed, but I wasn’t truly living.
Eventually, what I had refused to grieve showed up in my body. During what I thought would be a simple blood-pressure check at urgent care, my blood pressure was dangerously high. When the doctor placed his hand on mine and asked me what was going on, I broke. I cried, had a panic attack, and finally began speaking about everything I had been carrying. He told me something very simple: I had not grieved.
That moment sent me home to my prayer closet. I prayed one of the most honest prayers I had ever prayed. I told God, essentially, “You have to show me something different, because this isn’t living.”
And something changed.
I began being introduced to ideas and spiritual practices I knew almost nothing about, mediumship, energy, intuition, tarot, oracle, and different ways of understanding our connection to the Divine. I didn’t immediately jump into any of it. I watched, researched, questioned, and studied. Months later, I received my first reading because, more than anything, I wanted answers about my grandmother.
Eventually, an experience with a reader cracked something open in me. I began recognizing that what I had spent years trying to turn off had never actually left me. I often say our gifts don’t disappear simply because we stop feeding them; sometimes they just sit quietly in the background.
That became the beginning of my spiritual awakening, but more importantly, it became the beginning of coming home to myself.
I found communities where I could speak openly for the first time. I explored breathwork, meditation, yoga, shadow work, inner-child work and energy healing. Over time, that exploration expanded into Reiki, astrology, Human Design, crystal and sound healing, chakra work, mediumship, tarot and oracle. I studied, trained and became certified in many of the modalities that supported my own journey.
But the modalities were never the destination.
The deeper work was learning myself, examining my wounds, beliefs, conditioning, relationships, boundaries and the parts of my life I had created from someone else’s expectations rather than my own truth. Before I could support another person in becoming their authentic self, I had to be willing to become mine.
That journey eventually gave birth to Neptune’s Gate.
The meaning behind Neptune’s Gate is transformation: you enter the Gate and walk out transformed, not as someone new, but closer to who you truly are.
Today, I am a teacher, mentor, energy healer, Intuitive Reiki Master Teacher, spiritual practitioner, workshop facilitator and guide. I host workshops, events and experiences and work with people through a variety of spiritual and energetic modalities. But those are the tools I use; they aren’t the totality of who I am or the work.
At the heart of everything I do is one purpose: I am your Spiritual Liaison to your truest heart’s desires. Whatever that is, for you.
I support people in coming home to themselves, trusting their own knowing, becoming conscious of what they’re creating, releasing what no longer serves, and choosing a life that is authentically theirs.
Looking back, what I once thought might have been a curse became part of the path that led me back to myself. And now I get to create spaces where others can discover what coming home to themselves means for them.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
No, it has not been a smooth road. One of the greatest challenges was realizing that the journey wasn’t only about what had happened to me, it was also about being willing to see myself and take accountability for me.
That was not easy, especially during times when I truly felt in my heart that the problem was everyone else. Mirror work challenged me to look at my relationships, my reactions, my choices, my beliefs, and eventually recognize the reflections that other people were showing me. There were times I was completely in denial because it was much easier to point outward than to stop and be honest with myself.
And then there was the relationship I had with me.
Looking at myself, my body, the ways I judged myself, and the parts of myself I had rejected required courage. I had to learn how to see the woman in the mirror without constantly criticizing her so that I could genuinely fall in love with her. That came with a lot of tears, willpower, honesty, forgiveness, and grace.
My nervous system was also out of whack. I experienced anxiety, jitters, lack of sleep, and periods where I believed I needed to completely isolate myself in order to do this work. I had to learn that healing wasn’t about disappearing from life or becoming some perfect version of myself. It was learning how to live my life differently while still being in it.
One of the hardest parts was seeing everyone as a reflection. That had me in denial for a while, until I had to stop lying to myself. Not every experience was mine to take responsibility for, but my responses, choices, boundaries, and what I continued to participate in were mine. That realization changed so much for me.
So yes, this journey has absolutely come with obstacles and challenges. There were moments that were uncomfortable, painful, and required more of me than I thought I had to give. But I wouldn’t change them. I understood that those experiences were part of what shaped me into the woman I am today.
I didn’t get here by avoiding the difficult parts of myself. I got here by finally being willing to see them, love them, learn from them, and choose differently.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Through Neptune’s Gate, I serve as a Spiritual Liaison to your truest heart’s desires. My work incorporates Reiki, energy healing, spiritual mentorship, astrology, Human Design, sound and crystal healing, shadow work, inner child, oracle and tarot, workshops, and other spiritual practices. However, I always say the modality is the doorway, it is not the destination.
What I truly specialize in is supporting people in coming home to themselves. My work centers around awareness, accountability, inner work, trusting your intuition, establishing boundaries, recognizing patterns, and consciously choosing the life you desire to create.
What sets me apart is that I don’t want people dependent on me for their answers. I can hold up the mirror, share what I see, ask the questions, and offer tools, but ultimately, you are the authority over your own life.
What I’m most proud of is witnessing people begin to trust themselves again. Seeing someone choose themselves, establish a boundary, recognize a pattern, or realize they no longer need permission to live authentically is why I love this work.
At the core of everything I do is one simple truth: I am the Mirror.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
I would say self-awareness and accountability. I am willing to look at myself honestly, acknowledge when something is no longer working, and make a different choice. I don’t believe growth requires perfection, but it does require honesty.
I’ve learned to trust my intuition, remain teachable, and allow myself to evolve. Who I was yesterday doesn’t have to dictate who I choose to be today. That willingness to see myself, take responsibility for my choices, and keep moving forward has been one of the greatest contributors to my success.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.neptunesgate.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/quartzqueen3
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/18My3P9qiE/
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@goddesstrinity
- Other: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1110679809/reiki-infused-foot-soaks?ref=share_ios_native_control
