Please note: Participation in this course is reserved for Aspen + FIT Cohort students entering their 4th year in the Planetary Dharma program.
aspen+fit Cohort
generation stage training | september 2025 - May 2026
aspen Course Description:
Embodying the Avatar of Sacred World
As you cross the threshold into the fourth year of training, you are invited into a profound rite of passage: to become the vision you carry for the world. This is the essence of Generation Stage practice—a tantric initiation in which your awakened identity is no longer a fleeting glimpse in meditation but begins to stabilize in your body, breath, and being.
The teachings of the path now crystallize into a new self, one grounded in fierce compassion, noble clarity, and fearless devotion. You are not preparing to walk the path of the Bodhisattva—you are walking it, rooted in a sacred ecology of archetypal energies, subtle transmissions, and planetary purpose.
This phase of training calls forth a deeper metamorphosis, purifying the structures of your subtle body, awakening your imaginal intelligence, and activating the avataric function of spiritual leadership and cultural transformation.
The Role-Modeled Self and the Path of Imaginal Incarnation
At the heart of this year is the tantric, creative process of becoming. You will train in both the coarse and subtle dimensions of archetypal embodiment: the coarse process uses structured visualization to reshape how you hold and enact identity in the world, while the subtle process works through your inner neurobiological architecture—opening channels of perception, self-regulation, and somatic integrity to stabilize sacred identity.
This work is structured through seven phases of the role-modeling process, designed to metabolize unconscious transference, dissolve fixated sub-personalities, and integrate early wounds into mature expressions of love, service, and sovereignty. Through visualization, energy work, shadow integration, and ritual, the sacred world is no longer separate—it reveals itself as the matrix of your being. You become the World Tree: rooted in presence, branching into subtle realms, and flowering into planetary action.
This transformation is supported by work with the imaginal-astral body, pranic and nadi systems, and energy-mind structures to build an inner vessel capable of receiving and transmitting planetary intelligence. Drawing from Indo-Tibetan Deity Yoga, archetypal psychology, Sikh kriya, Taoist and Hindu subtle anatomy, and alchemical shadow practices, this year weaves sacred technologies of becoming into one living, embodied path.
What you will learn:
In your fourth year, you will engage advanced energetic, imaginal, and alchemical practices that activate your capacity to become a living transmission of the path. Together, we will:
Train in coarse and subtle generation practices: building the outer self-image while refining the inner subtle body and breath-energy systems.
Cultivate role-modeled identity using deity yoga, imaginal visualization, and sacred affirmations that anchor the archetype into lived experience.
Work through the seven stages of Role-Modeling Practice to metabolize psychological transference and re-pattern early developmental fixations.
Develop the avatar of dignity—a spiritual-energetic form rooted in compassionate sovereignty and aligned action.
Engage in tantric shadow work, transforming addictive desire into devotional intimacy, and reactive rage into clear discernment.
Open nexus points within the subtle nervous system to dissolve armoring and allow sacred energies to flow through the five compulsive systems.
Use subtle self-regulation practices to stabilize the nervous system and create a resilient inner ecology for transformation.
Deepen your planetary self-sense, perceiving through the lens of the Sacred World Tree and aligning with the harmonic field of planetary awakening.
FIT Practicum description:
In this culminating year of the Aspen + FIT path, students continue their hands-on practicum focused on Essence Practice/Lojong Mind Training. Building on three years of inner transformation, this phase equips you with the skills to support the Banyan students as they continue their foundational journey towards cultivating bodhichitta.
Through pedagogy training, monthly check-ins, guided facilitation scripts, and peer reflection, you’ll cultivate the capacity to guide others on the Bodhisattva path utilizing the Insight and Emptiness (Vipashyana/Śūnyatā) dimensions of meditation. This practicum offers a powerful synthesis of transmission and service—where your awakening becomes the ground from which others rise.
*Optional Track: Medicine Dharma:
For those who feel called, the Medicine Dharma Track offers a powerful supplemental path into the sacred use of cannabis for transformation, shadow integration, and awakening. Rooted in ethical frameworks and skillful means, this year-long journey invites participants to deepen their practice through guided ceremony, seasonal ritual, and earth-based rhythm—always in service of human flourishing and the evolution of consciousness. Registered AspenFIT cohort members will receive access to a discount code on the Welcome page of their new 2025/2026 membership area.
aspen+fit Course Structure:
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✺ 2 Online meditation retreats (4 days each)
FIT Required: Dec. 3: 5-7pm MT | Dec.4-7: 7am-3pm MT
As a FIT trainee, you’ll play a vital role in supporting your mentees during a transformative 4-day online Essence Practice retreat in December, beginning with a Wednesday evening opening session. While deepening your own meditation and contemplative practice, you’ll also hold space for others—offering presence, encouragement, and skillful guidance throughout the retreat. Each day includes dedicated time for small group connection, where you’ll help facilitate reflection, integration, and meaningful dialogue among your mentees. This immersive retreat is an opportunity to embody the Bodhisattva path not only through personal insight, but through relational transmission—grounding your commitment to compassion, service, and collective awakening across all dimensions of life.
Aspen: April 10: 5-7pm MT | April 11-14: 7am-3pm MT
Deepen your practice with a transformative 4-day online meditation retreat in April, devoted to embodying the Bodhisattva Avatar. Beginning with a Friday evening orientation, this immersive retreat offers dedicated time for extended meditation and focused practice. You'll engage with the alchemical dimensions of both coarse and subtle Generation Stage work—shaping a new self-structure rooted in clarity, compassion, and awakened purpose. This retreat invites you to step more fully into the identity of the bodhisattva, anchoring your commitment through embodied realization.
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✺ 15 Bi-Monthly Practice Circles
FIT Required: Alternating Thursdays (90 minutes)
On alternating Thursdays, FIT mentors will meet with their assigned Banyan Cohort mentees for a 90-minute session designed to foster insight, connection, and integration. As a mentor, you’ll help hold a compassionate container where students can explore the subtleties of their personal practice, reflect on challenges and breakthroughs, and receive peer support within a trusted group dynamic. You’ll support mentees in deepening engagement with Essence meditation practices, helping them attune to somatic presence and spacious awareness as stabilizing forces for both meditation and daily life. Sessions may also offer an opportunity to skillfully hold conversations about the Lojong mind training slogans as tools for resilience and transformation.Aspen: Small Group Practice & Reflection (90 minutes)
Twice each month on alternating Thursdays, you’ll gather with the full cohort to begin with a 10-minute large-group coherence meditation, aligning the collective field and setting the tone for the evening. From there, you'll move into your dedicated small cohort group for 55 minutes of focused exploration of Generation Stage Practice—engaging in deep reflection, shared inquiry, and peer support within a consistent, trusted container. We then return to the larger group for the final 25 minutes, creating space for open sharing, integration, and Q&A. This rhythm of individual presence, small group depth, and collective wisdom fosters accountability, connection, and transformative learning over time. -
✺ 8 Practice Day Modules + 8 optional (banyan)
FIT Optional: One Saturday per Month: 7am-3pm MT
As a FIT trainee, your participation in supporting the monthly Practice Days is optional. Throughout the year, your mentees will engage in eight monthly Practice Days that offer immersive training in foundational teachings, including Lojong (Bodhisattva Mind Training) and Space/Body Essence practices. Lojong provides a powerful framework for transforming adversity into compassion and resilience, while Space/Body Essence practices weave together somatic awareness and non-dual insight—cultivating inner calm, embodied presence, and a deep integration of body and mind. Supporting students through these core teachings is a meaningful way to embody the Bodhisattva path and refine your own transmission of wisdom and compassion.
Aspen: One Sunday per Month: 7am-3pm MT
Each of our eight monthly Practice Days offers a deep immersion into the foundational teachings of the Sacred World Generation Stage. These full-day sessions integrate the Seven Stages and Four Phases of the Role-Model Bonding Process, guiding you through the progressive embodiment of awakened qualities. You’ll engage with practices that activate and purify the central energy channel, unwind energetic and emotional complexes, and refine the breath as a gateway into subtle awareness. Through visualization, breathwork, and somatic alignment, you’ll begin to shape a new self-sense aligned with your inner bodhisattva—radiant, compassionate, and attuned to sacred world perception.
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✺ FIT Training & Facilitation Labs
FIT Required: Pedagogy Classes & Monthly Check-Ins (12 hrs total)
As part of your ongoing development as a Facilitator-in-Training, you’ll participate in a series of dedicated training sessions designed to deepen your pedagogical skill and support your role as a mentor and guide. This includes two 2-hour pedagogy classes focused on the art of facilitating Insight/Emptiness or Essence Practice, as well as a 2-hour retreat debrief to reflect on group dynamics, student needs, and transmission of the teachings. Additionally, you’ll join a 1-hour monthly peer learning circle—an essential space to share best practices, learn from fellow FITs, and refine your facilitation approach.
Throughout these sessions, you’ll receive guidance on how to help students cultivate bodhicitta—the awakened heart of compassion—and skillfully hold conversations about the Lojong mind training slogans as tools for resilience and transformation. These sessions are required and provide the foundation for relational, embodied, and impactful facilitation as you continue to step into your role as a lineage holder and dharma guide.
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✺ 17 Bi-Monthly MahaSangha Classes
Alternating Thursdays (75 minutes)
Twice each month on alternating Thursdays, we gather as one unified sangha for a 75-minute meditation session designed to nourish our shared commitment to the path. These gatherings are an opportunity to root deeply in the dharma, stabilize our presence, and strengthen the collective energetic field of our training community. Through a combination of guided meditation, chanting, and kriya, we harmonize body, breath, and mind—awakening the heart and attuning to the sacred world together. Practicing in synchrony with the larger field fosters a powerful sense of belonging, coherence, and momentum, reminding us that our individual awakening is part of a greater collective unfolding. -
✺ Optional à la carte Maha-sangha Retreat
Not Included in Your Tuition Fees:
From June 3-7 2025 (TENTATIVE), we will be hosting an all-school Mahasangha retreat in Boulder, Colorado. This in-person gathering will bring together students from both cohorts for a powerful week of deep practice, integration, and connection. Please note that this retreat is not included in your tuition and will be offered as an optional addition to your training. It will also not be broadcast in an online format. Full details and registration information will be announced later in the Fall semester.
Your Program Calendars: Key Dates at a Glance
Below you’ll find two separate calendars:
Aspen Regional Calendars – This includes dates for your personal study of the Generation Stage meditation.
FIT + Banyan Regional Calendars – This outlines dates for the FIT + Banyan program.
Once you register, both calendars will be accessible in your membership area, along with step-by-step instructions for syncing them to your Google Calendar.
Note: For the smoothest experience with Planetary Dharma programming, we strongly recommend using Google Calendar. If you’re not already using it, now is a great time to plan ahead and make the switch!
Aspen Regional Calendars (Last updated 5-26-25)
*does not include fit+banyan
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Americas/Oceania
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Europe
FIT+Banyan Regional Calendars (last updated 5-25-26)
*Does not include Aspen
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USA/Americas
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Europe
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Oceania
aspen+fit Cohort: Payment Options
Essential Policies: Read Before Registering
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We offer an incentive for students to pay in full at the time of registration to receive a $400 reduction off the standard tuition price. This discount reflects the reduced financial and administrative burden associated with single payments, as payment plans incur added processing fees, often require additional follow-up due to failed transactions, expired cards, or insufficient funds. Paying in full supports the forecasting of operations and allows our team to focus more energy on delivering a high-quality training experience.
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If you choose a payment plan, you are responsible for:
Ensuring that sufficient funds are available for each scheduled installment.
Keeping your payment method valid and up to date throughout the duration of the plan.
Our system (powered by Squarespace) will notify you by email if a payment fails. If the issue is not resolved within 10 days, your access to the membership area will be automatically revoked by Squarespace’ automated system. Planetary Dharma does not have control over this aspect of the system.
If access is revoked due to non-payment, you will be required to pay the remaining balance in full in order to continue participating in the program.
Payment Security & Scheduling
Please note that Planetary Dharma does not have access to your credit card information. All payments are securely processed through Squarespace’s automated billing system. We are unable to view, edit, or manipulate your payment details, including the date of your scheduled charges.
If you choose a payment plan, your card will be charged automatically on the same day each month, based on the original date of your registration. For example, if you register on the 10th, your subsequent payments will process on the 10th of each following month.
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Withdrawal Policy
We understand that life circumstances can shift. If you need to withdraw from the program, you must notify us in writing before the published withdrawal deadline (clearly communicated in the registration window). In these cases, we will apply our refund policy to determine the appropriate fees owed.
After the withdrawal deadline, tuition becomes non-refundable, and the full balance remains due—regardless of whether you paid in full or enrolled in a payment plan. At that point, course access has been granted, resources have been allocated, and the training container is fully underway.
Important: By enrolling, you agree to honor the full terms of the payment option you choose. Initiating a chargeback or payment dispute after the withdrawal deadline is a direct violation of your enrollment agreement.
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Upon registration, you will receive access to the membership area of your course. Inside the membership portal, all registered Planetary Dharma students will find a 25% discount code for Medicine Dharma offerings.
This exclusive discount is available to students enrolled in the Aspen, AspenFIT, or Banyan programs, and is intended as a resource to support your continued study and practice throughout the training.
Please note: Medicine Dharma is a separate offering, and students must register independently to access those programs.
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As part of your tuition, you’ll receive complimentary access to 9 online sessions of the Bodhisattva’s Compass series as well as the Introduction to Planetary Dharma online course, taking place July 18–20. Together, this bonus content is valued at $600 and is included at no additional cost to support and deepen your journey.
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Access to the Banyan Cohort and Introduction to Planetary Dharma membership areas has been automatically included with your registration. As soon as you complete your registration, you’ll receive immediate access to both membership sites.
$570 of your payment is a non-refundable, non-transferable deposit. Our cancellation policy is firm—no exceptions: cancellations on or before 8/17/25 forfeit the deposit; all other funds are refunded. Cancellations after 8/17/25 forfeit all payments made, regardless of withdrawal or completion of course. Session recordings remain in the membership library until 5/31/26. By enrolling, you confirm you've read the policies below and agree to honor the full terms of your payment.