In regard to your discussion of the feminine gate of heaven, I would like to point out that "Gate of Heaven" is one of the titles of the Blessed Virgin in Roman Catholic Mariology. Thus St. Bonaventure: "No one can enter Paradise unless [s]he passes through Mary, who is the gate" Yours in Dea St John Kelliher Like most iconic Roman Catholic Marian (crypto-Deanic) formulations, the notion of Mary as Janua Coeli (Gate of Heaven) goes back far beyond Christianity and has a profound metaphysical significance. The picture that heads our Gates of Heaven Article is a traditional image of Mary as Janua Coeli.