BRING THE SPHINX GATE: A QUEST TO AWAKEN HUMANITY to BM'25

THE SPHINX GATE: WHERE HEALING BECOMES A QUEST

We’re just weeks away from proving that personal growth doesn’t have to be clinical or isolating, it can be an adventurous quest.

The Problem: Humanity has built incredible infrastructure for everything—except helping us understand ourselves. Roads connecting continents, networks transmitting thoughts across the globe, yet most adults reach maturity without basic skills for processing difficult emotions or healing from trauma.

Society evolved faster than our emotional development. Anxiety among young adults is up 134% in the past decade and social isolation is at epidemic levels.

We don’t tend to our emotional well-being until a crisis strikes. It’s stigmatized, expensive, and isolating, so we treat emotional wellness like emergency medicine instead of daily practice.

We need emotional infrastructure to help us withstand the challenges of the times. And we think it can be fun.

THE BREAKTHROUGH

That's the “why” behind The Sphinx Gate—and this summer, we’re going to prove it works.

Rising from the playa at Burning Man 2025: Two colossal 34-foot interactive Sphinxes with laser eyes—one of the biggest installations this year—guiding tens of thousands of people through a transformative journey that will change how they think about personal growth.

Participants explore the riddle that has them stuck in life through the portals of: Breath, Mind, Body, Heart, Destiny, and Community. Using lights, lasers, and sound, we’re creating an awe-inspiring experience that reframes this work as a quest. The answers come from within. It’s a hero’s journey that proves emotional education can feel like an adventure, done in community, in the spirit of play.

This isn’t just art. It’s the breakthrough we all need. The prototype that destigmatizes taking care of our minds and makes it feel like a game. We’re building what becomes touring installations, permanent community spaces, digital programs, and corporate modules that will make emotional literacy as universal as reading and writing.

THE MOMENT IS NOW

Everything is lined up for a truly epic experience.

The momentum is building. We've secured Burning Man’s largest honorarium grant for 2025, raised $120K, and have 100+ volunteers ready to make magic.

But we have only 4 weeks to raise the rest of the money needed to push this over the finish line and into history.

At this precarious, rich moment, it’s still possible to get the full Sphinxes over the finish line—laser-eyed, projection mapped, fully fleshed out guardians with a quest to help humanity better know itself.

But if reinforcements and donations don’t come this week, those Sphinxes will be a lot less refined...

Time and resources are running out.

WHY BURNING MAN?

Burning Man isn’t just an event, it’s a living crucible of transformation, where radical self-expression, communal effort, and deep introspection collide in the dust. It’s one of the only places in the world where an art piece like The Sphinx Gate can truly come alive—not just as an object to be seen, but as a portal to be experienced.

The 10 Principles of Burning Man are woven into our mission: we honor Radical Inclusion by inviting all seekers to step between the Sphinxes; we celebrate Radical Self-Reliance and Self-Expression through the inner riddle each participant must face; and we embody Immediacy and Participation by creating a living, breathing myth that's only complete when YOU walk through it.

THE VISION BEYOND

Our long-term vision is MUSE—an initiative that brings these kinds of meaningful, immersive experiences to cities, festivals, and beyond. Tools, spaces, and art to support mental fitness—without the stigma.

We’re building the paradigm where art is a vehicle for healing. Where growth, healing, and “figuring it out” doesn't feel like punishment—it feels like a quest.

JOIN THE MISSION

This is your moment to champion what the world desperately needs.

If you’re someone who cares about building a better future for the human spirit...

If you know that culture shapes behavior, and behavior shapes the world…

If you're curious about how play, beauty, and myth can support our mental wellness…

Then we invite you to step through the Sphinx Gate with us.

Your donation is more than just support, it’s initiation. Every donor becomes part of the myth that will help lift this dream into reality.

Will you help us build what’s missing?

DONATE NOW

For tax-deductible donations: DONATE

NEED TO DONATE BY CHECK? Please make checks payable to the Givsum Foundation, with “Attn: The Sphinx Gate” in the memo line. Mail to: 2070 Meadow View Ln Costa Mesa, CA 92627

Join our team or collaborate: thesphinxgate

This is a call to the dreamers. The edge-walkers. The ones who know we’re here for something deeper. Let’s create magic that echoes far beyond the dust.

Are you ready to answer the riddle? KNOW THYSELF?