Passages

What Passages does

Passages (legal entity: Vivencia Inc., New York) is a founder-led Earth School that delivers ancestral studies, earth-based cosmology, and embodied ritual education to individual spiritual seekers worldwide. Its curriculum integrates Mayan calendrical systems, depth psychology, plantcestor wisdom, womb cosmology, and death awareness, drawing on direct relationships with Indigenous lineage keepers and elders from Maya, Mexica, Wixarika, and Din\u00e9 traditions. The product portfolio spans free Open Studies workshops, multi-week Community Studies cohorts (e.g., The Four Agreements, Tending the Living Web), year-long programs (Rematriarchy), 1:1 Personal Study sessions (Nahual readings, ancestral mentorship), and in-person pilgrimages such as the Sacred Roots Retreat in Guatemala.

The platform architecture is intentionally lean and third-party-dependent: the Passages Earth School is hosted on Mighty Networks for class portals, community conversations, and the living library of teachings; Stripe handles payment processing; Mailchimp manages the mailing list; and YouTube distributes free introduction replays for top-of-funnel demand generation. The GTM motion is event- and community-led, funneling free Open Studies and webinars into paid Community Studies, Year Long Paths, and 1:1 guidance, with annual pricing at $396 and monthly membership at $55 plus separate retreat fees. Founder Mariana Bandera (Anthropologist/Archaeologist, UT Austin and Pacifica Graduate Institute) operates as the primary facilitator and brand anchor; the company maintains partnerships with Heart to Earth for in-person retreats and Cacao Source for reciprocity-funded cacao supply supporting Kaqchikel women workers. No institutional funding has been raised, no AI/ML capabilities are disclosed, and the 7-person organization is privately held.

Name

Passages

Legal name

Vivencia Inc.

Website

https://passages.earth

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Passages (Vivencia Inc.) is a New York-based, founder-led Earth School delivering ancestral studies, earth-based cosmology, and embodied ritual education through cohort programs, year-long paths, 1:1 guidance, and pilgrimages served to individual spiritual seekers worldwide via Mighty Networks.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Experiential Education / Ancestral Studies

NAICS

Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Language Immersion Programs & Camps (Local/Seasonal) (EDAMAFAL)

Keywords

• Ancestral studies programs
• Earth-based education
• Nature literacy courses
• Indigenous cosmology workshops
• Embodied ritual retreats

Headquarters

HQ city

Not specified

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Educational Programs and Courses: Passages generates revenue through fee-based educational programs including Open Studies (monthly workshops), Community Studies (deep immersion programs), Personal Study (1:1 guidance sessions), and Year Long Paths. Programs range from free introductory offerings to paid courses. The company uses Stripe for payment processing and Mighty Networks as its learning management system.
2. Year-Long Program Subscriptions: Rematriarchy program offers a full journey at $396 (originally $500) with a 20% discount, or community membership at $55 monthly. This provides recurring subscription revenue through monthly membership tiers.
3. Community Study Courses: The Four Agreements study is offered as a 6-week community study with pricing that includes special rates for Global South residents upon request. Revenue is generated per cohort.
4. In-Person Retreats and Pilgrimages: Sacred Roots Retreat is an 8-day immersive pilgrimage in Guatemala (February 24 - March 3rd 2026) offered in collaboration with Heart to Earth. Revenue generated through retreat participation fees covering accommodation, meals, ceremonies, and transportation.
5. Immersive Relational Studies: Tending the Living Web - a 13-day communal study with cacao - generates revenue through program fees. A portion of proceeds funds community research initiatives with Kaqchikel cacao workers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Passages is a lineage-rooted Earth School that sells educational programs in ancestral studies, Indigenous cosmology, depth psychology, and embodied ritual practice. Core offerings include monthly Open Studies (free and low-cost workshops), cohort-based Community Studies, year-long programs such as Rematriarchy, 1:1 Personal Study (Nahual and ancestral mentorship), and in-person pilgrimages such as the Sacred Roots Retreat in Guatemala. Programs are delivered via the Mighty Networks-hosted Earth School community, with Stripe checkout for payment and YouTube for free introductory content.

Product overview

Passages is a lineage-rooted Earth School devoted to cultivating nature literacy. The core offering is the Passages Earth School hosted on Mighty Networks, which provides a unified platform for courses, community discussions, and educational content. The product portfolio includes Open Studies (introductory monthly workshops), Community Studies (deep immersion programs with yearly cohorts), Year Long Paths (such as Rematriarchy), Personal Study offerings (Mayan Nahual Introductions), and in-person pilgrimages (Sacred Roots Retreat). Additional offerings include specific study programs like Tending the Living Web (cacao relational study), Polishing the Arrow with The Four Agreements, and The First Ember workshops. All offerings weave anthropology, oral tradition, plant wisdom, and initiatory practices focused on ancestral studies, earth-based cosmology, and embodied inquiry.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Passages Earth School A lineage-rooted Earth School hosted on Mighty Networks that provides courses, community discussions, free introductory teachings, and a living library of content for individuals seeking nature literacy and ancestral wisdom.
• Open Studies

Quantifiable outcome

• Participants develop nature literacy - the ability to read, remember, and participate in living systems of life
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Cacao SourcecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCacao Source provides cacao as a plant teacher companion for the Tending the Living Web 13-day relational study. Cacao is understood within Indigenous traditions as a living intelligence that accompanies processes of relationship, emotional awareness, reciprocity, community, and remembrance. The partnership supports community-based research connected to a future cultural and educational center, with proceeds supporting Kaqchikel women cacao workers.
• Heart to EarthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHeart to Earth is founded by Charlotte Nieuwenhuis, an Earth guardian and regenerative systems designer. The collaboration produces the Sacred Roots Retreat - an 8-day pilgrimage through Maya lands including Lake Atitlán and Semuc Champey. Both organizations share values of reciprocity, biocultural heritage, and regenerative practices. Heart to Earth handles retreat logistics while Passages provides cultural and ceremonial guidance.
• Mighty NetworkscoreTechnology or IntegrationMighty Networks is the platform hosting the Passages Earth School, providing the technical infrastructure for class portals, community conversations, free introductions, and the living library of teachings. This is the primary digital platform for program delivery and community engagement.
• Lineage Keepers and MentorscoreOthersPassages maintains ongoing relationships with Indigenous teachers and elders who guide the school, including: Nana Lucy Kulum (Tz'utujil Maya womb keeper and lineage healing), Tata Walter (Kaqchiquel Mayan time keeper), Tata Izaias Sajvin Mendoza (Maya wisdom keeper and fire shaman), Nana Izabel Pérez (Maya wisdom keeper, Tzolkin daykeeper), Tata Tomás/Thomas Mendoza Cholotio (Tz'utujil Maya spiritual guide/Ajq'ij), Marakame Andres (Community Chief of Taimarity Community, Nayarit México), Nana Ixquik (Comadrona, Partera, Lineage Keeper of K'iche Nation), Tata Buho Cruz (Tz'utujil Mayan time keeper), Alheli Yurama and Alejandro Rivas Cano (Family lineage), Uncle Kirk Aviso (Diné elder), and Doña Elsa and Don Hector (Maya wisdom keepers and cacao growers). These relationships are central to the authenticity and ethical grounding of the school's teachings.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• School of Lost Borders: School of Lost Borders conducts wilderness vision quests and rites of passage grounded in earth-based and Indigenous traditions. It is directly comparable to Passages because both offer rite-of-passage and earth-based initiatory programs delivered through guided in-person immersions, often in remote landscapes, with an emphasis on ancestral and cosmological framing.
• Findhorn Foundation: Findhorn is a spiritual community and educational center offering workshops, courses, and retreats on holistic, earth-based, and contemplative living. It is directly comparable to Passages as a long-running lineage-rooted educational platform delivering transformational programs via workshops, retreats, and community learning models.
• Pachamama Alliance: Pachamama Alliance educates and inspires people to shift the old paradigm of domination and extraction toward one of reciprocity and partnership with the Earth, drawing on Indigenous Amazonian wisdom. It is directly comparable to Passages because both operate as educational organizations transmitting Indigenous cosmology and reciprocity-based values to global participants through courses, programs, and in-person immersions.
• Tamera Healing Biotope: Tamera is an ecovillage and educational community offering courses, pilgrimages, and research on peace culture and earth-based spirituality. It is directly comparable to Passages because both deliver experiential education programs that integrate cosmology, ritual, and community living rooted in earth-honoring principles.
• The Ojai Foundation: The Ojai Foundation offers retreats, workshops, and community programs rooted in contemplative practice, earth-based wisdom, and rites of passage. It is directly comparable to Passages as a small educational organization offering seasonal retreats and contemplative programs with an earth-honoring, ancestral orientation.
• Ancestral Apothecary: Ancestral Apothecary is an herbalism school rooted in ancestral and Indigenous healing traditions, offering classes, apprenticeships, and community programs. It is directly comparable to Passages as a small, lineage-rooted educational platform that monetizes ancestral and plant-based wisdom through cohort courses, workshops, and community engagement.

Broad incumbents

• Naropa University: Naropa is a contemplative university integrating meditation, Buddhist-inspired philosophy, and contemplative education across academic and continuing-education programs. It is comparable to Passages as a broader incumbent in contemplative education that combines depth psychology, ritual, and earth-based wisdom with formal curriculum delivery.
• Omega Institute for Holistic Studies: Omega Institute is a major holistic education and retreat center offering workshops and certifications across wellness, spirituality, and personal development. It is comparable to Passages as a broader incumbent delivering earth-based, contemplative, and personal-growth programming to consumers through workshops and retreats, but at much larger scale and scope.
• Esalen Institute: Esalen Institute is a long-established holistic education and retreat center offering hundreds of workshops on psychology, embodiment, spirituality, and human potential. It is comparable to Passages as a broader incumbent in the same earth-based/contemplative education space, though Esalen offers a much wider portfolio rather than Passages' Indigenous-lineage specialization.
• California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS): CIIS is an accredited university offering degrees and public programs in integral, transpersonal, and East-West psychology, philosophy, and spirituality. It is comparable to Passages as a broader incumbent in the educational space where depth psychology meets earth-honoring and cross-cultural cosmology, though CIIS operates at institutional scale with formal accreditation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/passages-earth-school
• Facebookfacebook.com/passages.earth
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/passages-earth
• Instagraminstagram.com/passages.earth

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Passages