The Seventh Gate: A Spiritual Awakening Story About Finding Yourself Again – An Interview with Sonia Luckey

What if the story you most need to read is the one you’ve been silently living for years?

Dr. Sonia Luckey has spent thirty years as a nurse practitioner, mental health expert, and educator, sitting across from women at their most vulnerable moments. She knows the exhausted mother, the overextended professional, and the wife silently wondering when her own life got pushed to the bottom of the list. Her new novel, “The Seventh Gate,” takes everything she has seen over three decades of clinical work and distills it into the story of Sophia, a composite of the women she has witnessed, supported, and guided through pivotal moments of change.

In this conversation, Dr. Luckey shares why she chose fiction over self-help, what the Seed of Life symbol has to do with the six portals of transformation, and how to catch yourself the moment you start losing yourself again.

Whether you’re deep into your own awakening or just starting to sense that something inside you is asking for more, this one is worth your time.

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If you haven’t heard our first conversation, I would really encourage you to go back and listen. It gives such a full picture of Sonia’s awakening journey, work as a nurse practitioner, and as an educator—it’s incredibly inspiring. But today we’re here to talk about your first fiction book, The Seventh Gate. I’m curious—given your background in mental health, education, and clinical work, why did you choose fiction as the way to share this message?

Dr. Sonia Luckey: It was actually an interesting evolution. I’ve spent my entire career helping people transform, but it was always within a clinical or educational framework. Fiction is different—it allows people to experience transformation instead of being taught it.

There are so many people who come home at the end of the day completely exhausted. They don’t want something that feels like more work—they just want to be immersed in a story. Fiction allows that. You don’t have to agree with anything, you don’t have to analyze it—you simply receive what resonates at your own level.

Coming back to fiction has been really meaningful for me. I actually started writing it in my 20s before my career became more clinical, so in a way, this feels like coming full circle. I love being able to tell a story and then see what it awakens in people.

I didn’t want to tell people, “This is what you’re experiencing, this is how it works,” even though those frameworks can be helpful. I remember talking to one of my patients about it, and she said, “This all sounds really good, and I do want to learn it… But honestly, I’d rather just sit down and read a story.” And that really clicked for me.

She said she would rather read a story?

Dr. Sonia Luckey: She did—exactly like that. I think I laughed because we had a good relationship, and she could say something like that. There was a small part of my ego that thought, “But I’m smart—I know things—I could help you.”

But honestly, what I’ve learned through clinical practice is that people don’t always want to be told or taught. They don’t want something fed to them. They want to arrive at their own understanding and take from it what feels true for them.

What’s been fascinating is that even when the first chapter released, people were already responding to it in so many different and unexpected ways. And I love that—it means they’re engaging with it in their own way.

Your protagonist is Sophia, who works in an emergency department. How much of your own clinical experience found its way into her story?

Dr. Sonia Luckey: A lot of it—especially the emotional truth of what she experiences.

Sophia is really a composite of the women I’ve worked with over the past 30 years. So many women are navigating burnout, self-sacrifice, and the feeling of holding everything together while slowly losing themselves in the process. Those are the patterns I’ve seen again and again—and honestly, the ones that have broken my heart the most.

I’ve experienced parts of that myself, too. I’m a mom and a professional, and I know what it feels like to be overwhelmed or unsure of what comes next. So that emotional layer comes directly from my clinical work and my own life.

As for the emergency room setting, it’s powerful because of the intensity. People are there at a threshold moment, where decisions have to be made quickly, and everything feels urgent. That mirrors what people go through internally when they reach a breaking point in their own lives. It felt like the perfect place to begin her story.

If you had to describe The Seventh Gate in just a couple of sentences, how would you define it—and what kind of fiction is it?

Dr. Sonia Luckey: I would describe it as metaphysical women’s fiction. Some readers have also called it literary fiction, mostly because of how the story unfolds and the depth of Sophia’s inner journey.

At its core, it’s about a woman who reaches a point where she realizes she’s been living for everyone else—and it’s no longer working. Her life doesn’t reflect who she truly is, and she knows something has to change.

So she begins the journey toward authenticity. And as often happens, once you ask for change, life responds. The universe meets her there and says, “Okay—you’re ready. Let’s go.”

The story follows her awakening—what happens as she changes, how her external world begins to shift, and how she learns to navigate that transformation.

For readers who don’t have a medical background—teachers, moms, people in corporate—would this still feel accessible to them?

Dr. Sonia Luckey: Absolutely. While the story begins in a hospital, it doesn’t stay there. It quickly moves into her everyday life and the universal experience of knowing something needs to change—and facing the reality that not everyone around you will be comfortable with that.

It’s really about what that feels like. The emotional experience of change. Learning how to cope with it on a day-to-day level, while also asking deeper questions—what does this mean? What is this asking of me on a spiritual level?

Because at some point, many people reach that place where they know they can’t keep going the way they have been. And even if change feels uncomfortable—or disrupts relationships—there’s also the deeper knowing that if you don’t change, you’re leaving yourself behind.

I’d love to bring the writing process into this as well. We’ll go deeper into Sophia’s story, but how did you actually write this book? What did the process look like—where did you write, what tools did you use, how long did it take, and what was the revision process like? Was it fun? Challenging? Walk us through it for those who feel called to write fiction.

Dr. Sonia Luckey: It actually started as a personal development, self-help book. That’s how it began. I had about seven or eight chapters written in that format when I had the conversation with my patient, who said she’d rather just read a story.

So I took that into meditation and really sat with what would be of greatest service. Writing it as a self-help book was easier for me—it was familiar. But I knew fiction was what was needed, even though it meant reopening a creative part of myself that I hadn’t used in a long time.

The writing process felt like watching a movie. I would hold a scenario in my mind—often based on things I’d seen in practice or experienced myself—and then I would watch it unfold internally. From there, I’d write what I saw.

That process helped me reconnect with my creativity, and it was genuinely fun. Once the manuscript was written, I shared sections with readers to make sure it translated clearly. It made sense to me because I could see it, but that didn’t always mean it was landing the same way for others.

That’s where revision became really important. One of the biggest lessons came through something surprisingly simple—language. A proofreader pointed out how often I used the word “it,” and how unclear that could be for a reader. She went through and flagged those moments, suggesting what she thought I meant.

And I realized that in many cases, her interpretation didn’t match what I intended. I ended up changing about 60–70% of those instances. It really showed me how important precision in language is—not just in writing, but in how we communicate in general. It made me a stronger writer and a more conscious speaker.

I keep coming back to that idea of you watching the story unfold like a movie. Were you ever exploring different directions—almost like trying out different paths before deciding which one to write? Like those “choose your own adventure” books?

Dr. Sonia Luckey: Yes, I remember those books. And in a way, it’s similar—but the framework I use is more like a universe of infinite possibility.

It’s the idea that all of these different outcomes exist simultaneously, and we’re choosing which one we move through. So in the writing process, it felt like laying out a deck of possibilities—different directions the story could take—and then choosing which one belonged in the book.

You weave together clinical experience with spiritual elements—things like energy work, Reiki, and spirit guides. For some readers, that might feel unexpected, while for others it’s completely natural. How did you approach that balance? And do you see both as equally valid in real life?

Dr. Sonia Luckey: Absolutely. That integration is actually how I’ve always practiced.

Both the clinical and the spiritual have always been present for me, but the key was understanding who I was working with. I had to meet each person where they were. If someone were very grounded in a scientific or atheistic perspective, I wouldn’t approach things through energy or spiritual language. I would stay within a framework that felt relevant and accessible to them.

That same awareness carried into the book. I knew readers could come from anywhere along that spectrum, so it was important to create a foundation of psychological truth first. That was my anchor point—the psychiatry, the emotional and mental experience.

From there, I could layer in spiritual elements in a way that feels natural rather than overwhelming. It’s not meant to be heavy spiritual fantasy, but those elements are present. And the reader can engage with them as deeply—or as lightly—as they choose.

Even if the spiritual aspects feel like too much for someone, there’s still the emotional and psychological journey they can connect with. And for others, those deeper layers will resonate more strongly. It leaves space for both.

I’m curious about Sophia’s journey—especially her growing awareness of self-sacrifice and how she loses herself in the process of serving others. It’s something I see come up again and again, particularly with women. Why is this such a common theme, and what actually gets lost when someone gives so much of themselves to others?

Dr. Sonia Luckey: Thank you for asking that, because it really is a central theme—and an important one.

From a very young age, many women are conditioned into the role of the caretaker. You see it even in childhood—taking care of dolls, hosting tea parties, serving others. That pattern becomes deeply ingrained. Over time, it evolves into being the reliable one, the strong one, the person who holds everything together—raising children, managing a home, building a career.

An image comes to mind—like Rosie the Riveter—strong, capable, doing it all. But underneath that strength, there’s often a quiet overextension. A gradual loss of self.

You become so focused on caring for others that you lose connection with who you are outside of those roles. And then one day, something shifts—your kids grow up, or your life circumstances change—and you look around and think, What about me?

That question can bring up resentment. It can bring up grief. Because somewhere along the way, you stopped being part of your own life.

This is exactly what Sophia begins to notice. She’s in the emergency room, helping women day after day—patching them up, sending them back out—and she starts to wonder, What about them? What about their souls? And then it turns inward: What about mine?

That’s the turning point. Because if you’re constantly pouring into others without tending to yourself, eventually there’s nothing left to give. You lose the foundation of who you are—your desires, your direction, your sense of self.

I often see this shift happen in work and career—people realizing they’ve been sacrificing themselves for years and wanting something more fulfilling. But it also shows up in relationships. How do you see those changes unfold when someone begins reclaiming themselves?

Dr. Sonia Luckey: I see that all the time as well.

There’s usually a moment of realization—whether you frame it as emotional, spiritual, or simply life—that something is no longer aligned. Something inside says, There’s more for me than this.

That’s the starting point.

But growth doesn’t happen in isolation. As you begin to change, your relationships naturally start to shift as well. And that’s where the tension comes in. It’s like loosening something that’s been tightly sealed—once it starts to move, everything around it is affected.

What once felt comfortable or aligned may no longer feel that way.

The important thing, though, is that the answer isn’t always to walk away from everything. Sometimes it is—but not always. A deeper approach is to develop discernment.

Instead of reacting from frustration—I need to quit this job, leave this relationship—you pause and ask: Why am I here? Am I staying out of fear? Habit? Obligation?

And then: What actually feels true for me?

That shift—from reacting to consciously choosing—changes everything. It becomes less about loss and more about alignment.

One of the hardest parts is that when you start changing, the people around you still expect you to be who you’ve always been. That pull to stay the same can feel incredibly strong. How do you move through that?

Dr. Sonia Luckey: That’s such a real experience.

At some point, you begin to realize that the changes happening within you are actually making you stronger—more whole, more aligned. And that shift doesn’t just benefit you—it makes you a better version of yourself in every role: as a parent, a partner, a professional.

But there is a moment where it feels uncomfortable. Where you’re in a room, and you say something new—something that reflects who you’re becoming—and people look at you differently.

I remember a moment in my clinical work where I spoke up and said we needed to start asking patients about their spiritual perspective—because how someone interprets their experience, whether as punishment or growth, completely changes how they move through it.

The response was, “That’s different.”

And it was. I was different.

But once I was willing to stand in that, something shifted. Later, people came to me and said, “I actually agree with you.”It created space for others to evolve, too.

That’s what happens—you give others permission by being willing to change yourself.

Sometimes it feels easier to just leave everything behind—new job, new city, new relationships. But there’s also this realization that no matter where you go… you’re still there.

Dr. Sonia Luckey: Exactly. That someone who follows you everywhere—that’s you.

I’ve done that too—starting over, thinking a fresh environment would solve everything. But what I realized is that the issue wasn’t the situation itself—it was how I was relating to it.

I was holding myself to impossible standards. Being incredibly hard on myself without even realizing it.

I’ll give you an example. When my kids were young, I was doing everything—working full-time, raising a family, leading the PTA, organizing events. At one point, someone raised a concern about something, and instead of setting a boundary, I took it on completely.

I rearranged everything—neglected my own needs, my family, my time—just to fix it.

When it was done, a friend said to me, “You’re so hard on yourself.”

And I didn’t understand. I thought, I’m just doing what needs to be done.

But she pointed out that I had sacrificed everything else to meet that one expectation.

It took me years—honestly, about ten years—to get to a place where I could respond differently. Where I could say: I hear your concern. Here’s what’s possible. And this is what I can offer right now.

And to be okay with that.

That’s the shift. It’s not about doing less—it’s about no longer abandoning yourself in the process.

This really resonates with me. One of the ways I recognize self-sacrifice in my own life is through resentment—feeling like I’m doing so much for others and not being appreciated. If someone finds themselves in that place, whether at work, with their kids, or in a relationship, how would you guide them through that?

Dr. Sonia Luckey: The first step is awareness—and that’s the part people tend to skip right past.

You might notice the thought: They don’t appreciate me. Look at everything I’ve done. And in that moment, you have to pause. Almost like freezing time and having a conversation with yourself.

I teach it as: catch it, then check it.

Ask yourself, Why did I do this? Did you help someone because you genuinely wanted to—or because, somewhere underneath, you expected that they would show up for you later? Because that’s often what’s happening. We’re unconsciously creating these “agreements” that were never actually spoken.

But service doesn’t work like a bank account. You don’t deposit energy and expect a return later. Once you give, it’s gone.

Then the deeper question becomes: What is it that I actually want that I’m not receiving? What is the unmet need underneath the resentment?

And then—this is the important part—how can I begin to meet that need for myself, instead of waiting for someone else to validate it?

What role does actually expressing our needs play in all of this? Saying what we want—whether at work or in relationships?

Dr. Sonia Luckey: It’s huge. Until you say it, it doesn’t really exist outside of you.

I’m a big advocate for journaling—just getting your thoughts out of your head and onto paper. It doesn’t need to be polished. Just write freely until something real starts to emerge.

Because once you can see it, you can work with it.

You can ask yourself: Do I still want to hold onto this anger? What do I actually want instead? And how can I begin to ask for that?

That’s where the shift happens—moving from internal frustration to conscious expression.

I think a lot of us assume people should just know what we need. But they can’t read our minds. Whether it’s wanting more support, more connection, or something different entirely—we have to say it.

Dr. Sonia Luckey: Exactly. That assumption—that others should just know—keeps people stuck.

Clarity and communication are essential. Without them, we’re creating expectations that no one else even knows exist.

Let’s talk about the title—The Seventh Gate. What does that represent?

Dr. Sonia Luckey: The gates represent stages of awareness in the process of transformation. You could also think of them as portals—different levels of perception that Sophia moves through as she evolves.

Each gate reflects a deeper layer of truth—something she comes to understand about herself, her relationships, and her inner world as her awareness expands.

The symbol on the cover is the Seed of Life, which represents creation, expansion, and unfolding awareness. I chose it because it mirrors how transformation actually happens.

A lot of people think awakening is like a lightning bolt—sudden, dramatic, instant. But in reality, it happens in stages. And the gates give structure to that process, making something abstract feel more tangible.

Did that symbol come before the story, or did it emerge as you were writing?

Dr. Sonia Luckey: It came alongside it. I’ve always been drawn to the Flower of Life, which is the larger version of that symbol. But the Seed of Life felt simpler—more aligned with the story.

There are six foundational stages, and then the seventh gate represents the larger transformation. It helped ground the process for me—almost like a map I could return to.

It’s also a reminder not to overcomplicate things. Transformation doesn’t have to be elaborate. Life isn’t as complicated as we make it.

You actually conducted an interview with Sophia in our recent print edition. Do you feel a real relationship with her as a character?

Dr. Sonia Luckey: I do. Sophia feels very real to me.

She’s a composite of so many women I’ve worked with over the years, so when I see her, I also see all of them behind her. Their experiences, their voices—they’re all part of her.

There’s also a process I use in my work where people connect with different aspects of themselves through dialogue. And that’s what it felt like while writing. It was as if Sophia was sitting beside me, sharing what things felt like from her perspective.

So I wasn’t writing about her—I was writing with her. Seeing through her eyes, feeling what she felt.

That’s how the interview came through as well. It wasn’t imagined—it was experienced.

When someone finishes the book, what do you hope they walk away with?

Dr. Sonia Luckey: I hope they recognize themselves somewhere in the story.

And if they do, I hope they don’t interpret that as failure—but as an invitation. An invitation into deeper awareness.

Because those moments—whether it’s a relationship ending, a career shift, or feeling lost—aren’t signs that something went wrong, they’re openings.

There are opportunities to choose differently.

It all comes back to how you relate to what’s happening. Not punishing yourself for the past, but asking: What is this here to show me? And how do I want to move forward from here?

Healing is always a choice.

Is The Seventh Gate a standalone book or part of a larger series?

Dr. Sonia Luckey: It’s a series. Awakening isn’t a one-time event—it’s a process.

Each book expands on that journey—moving deeper into awareness, integration, and embodiment. It’s not about teaching or positioning myself as a guide, but about walking alongside the reader.

And showing that the path might not look the way you expected—but that doesn’t mean you’re off track.

Have you already started writing the next book?

Dr. Sonia Luckey: I have—and it’s really exciting. I’m loving the process so far.

Do you have an estimated release date?

Dr. Sonia Luckey: That one will likely come out in 2027. Now that I understand how long it takes to bring a book fully into the world, early 2027 feels like a good goal.

You also have a new podcast—what’s it called, and what can people expect from it?

Dr. Sonia Luckey: It’s called The Soul Sourced Podcast. It’s really about giving a voice to all the “Sophias” out there—women who are going through their own awakening and trying to understand what it means.

We talk about their experiences, their journeys, and what they’ve learned along the way. The goal is to normalize these conversations—so people realize they’re not alone and can support each other through the process.

For those who feel called to work with you directly, who do you love working with, and what does that look like?

Dr. Sonia Luckey: The woman I love working with most is the one who knows something is shifting in her life—and she’s willing to step into it.

She understands it might be uncomfortable or even scary, but she’s committed to her growth. She’s ready to explore who she truly is and what she’s here to become.

That’s where the real work happens—and it’s incredibly meaningful to walk alongside someone in that process.

If someone wants to connect with you, how can they do that?

Dr. Sonia Luckey: The easiest way is through links.sonialuckey.com, or my website, SoniaLuckey.com. From there, you can find the book, the podcast, information about working together, or even apply to be a guest on the podcast.

If someone is feeling stuck—recognizing they’ve been self-sacrificing and losing themselves, but not quite sure how to move forward—what would you say to them?

Dr. Sonia Luckey: First, I would say—pause, and give yourself a hug.

Really acknowledge that you’re seeing this. Because that awareness takes courage.

Don’t judge yourself for where you are. This isn’t failure—it’s an invitation. An opening to choose something new.

And whatever choice you make is okay. You don’t have to rush. If now isn’t the time, that doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong. It just means your timing is unfolding.

Trust that. Honor your inner guidance. And remember—you are already whole. You are loved. You are exactly as you’re meant to be.

Thank you for sharing your book, your heart, and your wisdom. We know how much it takes to bring something like this into the world.

Dr. Sonia Luckey: Thank you so much for having me. It’s truly been a pleasure.