The Story of Portal: From a Spark to a Gathering

It all started 5 years ago

Five years ago, I, Agnieszka, met Lexi Marie at Anarchapulco. I was there as a speaker, and she was part of the team that made sure everything ran smoothly. The event was buzzing with ideas about freedom, sovereignty, and self‑ownership — but amid all the noise, there was a friendly connection from the moment we met.

I had a small cafe for the duration of the conference (just in my front yard), and she was a frequent visitor with her husky named Kitty. We talked about many topics — about how people light up when they’re seen, how truth feels when it’s evident, how the world is upside down and how meaningful an in-person connection is when the whole world tells you to stay at home and watch the news. We both knew it: the world was waking up, but it was hard to find like-minded people where we lived. 

Conscious people are scattered all over the globe yet we are all awakening together. 

We need places to meet — not just online, but in real life, where you can look someone in the eye and feel that spark of “I see you”.

Back then, it was just an idea. A shared sense that something more was needed. Something more relaxed, less flashy than Anarchapulco. An event that would bank on consciousness and abandon fear-mongering. These ideas were born when they were most needed.

The Spark Becomes a Vision

Over the next few years, that idea kept circling back. Lexi created two Mariposa Festivals in Puerto Vallarta. I attended as a speaker and helped out a bit. I didn’t become really involved in her events until she created the first Portal Gathering.

On April 9th, 2024, under the breathtaking solar eclipse in Mazatlán, a group of us came together—free thinkers, seekers, and dreamers. We weren’t just there to witness a rare celestial event; we were there to create something magical. To raise our collective vibration, to connect in a way that felt real, raw, and powerful.

It was magical! The energy of the eclipse was breathtaking. 

After that, we went back to work on our daily jobs and months went by before we rekindled the conversation. 

We wanted to create that sense of unity again. We wanted it to be something magical.

A space where conversations could flow naturally, where wisdom could come from anyone, not just those holding a microphone.

Another big question was: where?

Where’s the kind of place that holds the energy to make this gathering unforgettable?

We looked at a few spots around Mexico. We knew it had to be here again — but which town had the right mix? Good location, good food, and that kind of natural magic you can actually feel?

And this is Mexico — there’s no shortage of magical places. There’s even a Pueblo Mágico guide that lists towns known for their special energy (though it doesn’t even cover them all).

One place kept coming up: Tepoztlán. It’s close to Mexico City, easy to reach, with great restaurants and many quaint, quirky shops. The town is surrounded by magical mountain cliffs that seem to have faces carved into them. There are stories that go back centuries. Locals say it’s a portal to other worlds — a place where the air feels charged and things seem to line up just when they should.

It almost felt like it chose us. What better place for something called The Portal Gathering?

The Circle Expands

Creating an event is a lot of work. There are months of preparation needed. 

When the vision started taking shape, we realized it needed more hands, more hearts. So we reached out to people who shared the same frequency — those who understood that freedom isn’t just a word; it’s a way of being.

Carlos Venegas was one of the first to join. He’s a creator, a producer, and a builder of bridges between the seen and unseen. Through his work with Spectro‑chrome and Light Lab, Carlos explores how color and light can support the body’s natural healing. But beyond his projects, he carries a calm, steady energy — the kind that brings clarity when things get chaotic. He reminds us that creation is a natural process, not something you force.

Then came JP Way. JP has spent over a decade teaching people how to take back their financial sovereignty through privacy‑based currencies. He’s helped hundreds of clients set up their first crypto wallets and learn how to operate outside the systems that demand compliance. What I love about JP is that he makes freedom practical. He doesn’t talk about sovereignty as an abstract idea — he lives it, step by step, wallet by wallet.

Holly joined early on, bringing creativity and structure when we were still finding our rhythm. She helped us shape the foundation — the bones of what would become Portal Tepoztlán — before moving on to other projects. Her presence helped us remember that every gathering needs both vision and form.

After Holly left, we approached Noelle Berrie, whose background in organizing large, intentional gatherings to join the team. She added a layer of wisdom we didn’t even know we needed. She’s spent years building community through radical inclusion — the kind of spaces where everyone contributes, where everyone belongs. Noelle knows how to hold a container where people feel safe enough to truly relax.

Each person brought something different — their own strengths, experiences, and perspective. Together it created the balance that helped the vision of Portal come alive.

Why It Matters 

At the heart of Portal is a simple truth: when aligned people gather, something happens that multiplies the magic. Together, we can move mountains and manifest what seems impossible today.

We live in a world that teaches separation — screens between faces, algorithms between thoughts. But when you meet those who share your values and ideals… the connections made are enough to shake up the world.

And you don’t have to perform! It’s enough to share a meal, or walk through the mountains with someone who’s also walking their path of awakening, you remember what being human feels like.

It’s not about escaping the world. It’s about creating a new one, right here, in the open.

Sovereignty, for me, isn’t rebellion — it’s remembering. It’s the confidence that comes from knowing who you are and living from that place. And connection is what the world needs now. When sovereign people meet, they don’t lose themselves — they amplify each other.

That’s the real magic of gathering.

When we come together in alignment, something beyond us begins to move. 

Ideas connect. Collaborations begin. Energy builds. Healing happens. 

You can feel it in the air — that subtle hum that says, this is what we were meant to do.

How It’s Coming Together

Behind the scenes, building Portal looks like a mix of heart, humor, and a lot of improvisation.

Portal Gathering Tepoztlán, the conference, is being built piece by piece over months, through calls, messages, and a lot of passion. Some days it’s logistics and spreadsheets, other days it’s ideas landing out of nowhere. We meet across time zones, share updates, laugh through tech hiccups, and somehow it all keeps moving forward.

It’s not always neat, but it’s alive. Each conversation adds another layer, another spark. And even when things get messy, there’s this steady sense that it’s all unfolding exactly how it’s meant to.

That’s how it’s coming together — not from a plan, but from people showing up, listening, and saying yes to what feels true.

Portal Panels

Throughout the year, we’ve been hosting monthly Portal Panels — live conversations that keep the spirit of the gathering alive between events. Each panel focuses on a theme connected to sovereignty, creativity, or conscious living, and features one or more guest speakers who bring their own stories and insight.

We take turns hosting, which keeps things fresh and lets each of us bring our own style and curiosity to the conversation. Many of our panel guests will also be speakers and workshop leaders at the Portal Gathering in March, so the panels are a great way to get to know them and the ideas shaping this year’s event.

All past panels can be found on the Portal Gathering YouTube channel, open to anyone who wants to tune in, catch up, or just feel part of the conversation.

The panels remind us that Portal isn’t just an event — it’s an ongoing dialogue that keeps growing, one conversation at a time.

The Road Ahead

Now, as we prepare for Portal Gathering 2026, it feels like everything we’ve been building — personally and collectively — is leading to this moment.

We’ll be gathering in Tepoztlán, Mexico, a place that doesn’t just hold history — it holds energy. Tepoztlán is cradled by mountains, and there’s a feeling there that grounds you right away.

It’s known as one of Mexico’s pueblos mágicos — magical towns — and it truly lives up to the name. The locals say the mountains are alive, that they hold memory. There’s a hum here that feels ancient, like the land itself is whispering: “Remember who you are.”

When you walk through the cobblestone streets, you see color everywhere — murals, fruit stands, textiles — but there’s also something invisible, an undercurrent. 

It’s the kind of place where synchronicities happen faster, where intentions seem to land before you even speak them out loud.

That’s why we chose it.

Because Portal isn’t just about talking — it’s about feeling the shift. 

During the gathering, we’ll explore sovereignty, creation, and aligned living — not only through the presentations, but through the shared experience. We’ll share meals, hike to the pyramid, lie in the grass and feel the land. We will gather together for a common purpose. To make the world a better place. 

And around those three days, we’ll host smaller workshops and immersions — deep dives into practices that support conscious living. Wild foraging, Azteca cuisine, centering yoga, energy work — all ways of remembering that we belong to the earth, and to each other.

The Heart of the Gathering

Looking back, I can see how every step led here — every conversation, every “what if,” every person who said yes.

Portal didn’t come from a business plan. It came from listening to our inner voice. From following the quiet yes that lives in the body when something is Good.

We’re not building a brand. We’re building a field — a space where people can show up as themselves and find others doing the same.

Because when you gather among people who are walking their own path — people who aren’t looking for leaders or followers, just truth — something happens that no one can own. It becomes its own living thing.

That’s what Portal is.

It’s not ours. It’s yours. It’s everyone’s.

So if you’re reading this, you’re already part of it. The gathering is waiting for you. 

The invitation has been sent, will you RSVP?

Buy tickets here.