In this step, I created a mask with feathered edges of the image in the lower left of this screenshot.  This is the "portal" that allows you to travel to the Akashic Realm and back.  I superimposed it on a kaleidoscope type of video to represent the Akashic Realm.  Both image and video are royalty free. 

In this step I added keyframes with scales of 0 and 100 back down to 0 to the portal.  This gives the effect that it is "opening" and "closing".  I did a similar technique with the mannequin head (my main character for the video), except I kept her at 100 instead of going back down to 0.  I also added a full rotation to the mannequin head to give it the appearance that she is "travelling" through the portal.  I created the image of the head by taking a photograph of the head staged how I wanted, then used Photoshop to remove the background.

In this step, I moved the mannequin head around and added keyframes to each position to make it appear as if she was "floating" around in space.  I also added a film dissolve to the end in preparation to transition to the next clip.  To finish off, I added a voiceover that I had created previously, a "swoosh" sound timed to the opening of the portal, and some chanting sounds to add to the surreal and otherworldly affect of this video. The latter two sound clips are royalty free and were found online.