About Us
A vision for life
Our Values
Our essential purpose is “the deepening of the spirit.”
We seek to create a culture that values spirit, community, and life-long learning.
We strive to express the universal teachings of Paramhansa Yogananda and other great spiritual traditions.
We aspire to celebrate the sacredness of life in the company of dear friends.
We promote inclusion, compassion, and service to others as pathways to individual and world peace.
We understand that life is a sacred opportunity to grow.
Our Mission
Polestar creates dynamic opportunities for life-long learning and spiritual growth based on the universal teachings of Paramhansa Yogananda.
All are Welcome! This community embraces and values diversity, including individuals of all ages, professions, family structures, and ethnic, cultural, and spiritual backgrounds.
Our Vision
Visualize a campus for the “School of Life”–an intentional community where everyone is honored as a student, as well as a teacher.
The ideals of compassion, service, humility, and divine friendship imbue every aspect of living.
Life is celebrated as an opportunity for continuous physical, mental, and spiritual development.
Daily activities are filled with cooperation and creativity. They include meditation, yoga, service projects, art, music, science, business, and spiritual pursuits.
What it looks like…
- Sacred space for yoga & meditation
- Walkable Village Center
- Common areas for cooking, dining & gathering
- Central community garden & pocket gardens throughout
- Play areas, pickleball courts, open space & natural areas
- Walking & biking trails
- Sustainably built, energy-efficient designs
- Privately-owned single family dwellings, townhomes & condos
- Collaboratively owned apartments & rentals
- Live/work, micro & age-in-place units
- Elder housing, elder care & preschool
3D Fly Through - Polestar Village Center
Groundbreaking Weekend Video - September 2024
Community Gardens
Continuing the momentum of almost 40 years of organic, biodynamic gardening from the Happy Heart Farm, and with the purchase of 14 1/2 acre-feet per year of irrigation water in the bargain, food production will be a significant feature of life at Polestar Village. The garden is a place for growing not only food but also friendships, health, and wisdom. Private and common gardening areas throughout the community will allow each of us the opportunity to have organic, locally grown food in our daily diets.
Fort Collins - Colorado
Just over an hour north of Denver International Airport, Fort Collins is a vibrant and growing city offering extensive outdoor activities and opportunities. Residents and visitors can enjoy miles of biking trails, wild areas leading into the mountains, rivers, lakes, and a thriving city center with a charming town square. The area provides abundant options for biking, camping, hiking, whitewater rafting, kayaking, climbing, winter sports, and more, with nearby attractions like Horsetooth Reservoir, the Poudre River, Rocky Mountain National Park, and other nature areas offering endless adventures.
The Polestar Adventure - A Brief History
Polestar Gardens was incorporated as an educational non-profit to share its culture of “Spirit, Community, and Lifelong Learning” in the year 2000.
After 16 years on the Big Island of Hawai’i, Polestar’s 20-acre organic farm, retreat, and spiritual community were devastated by eruptions from the Kilauea Volcano, causing a three-year search for a new space for community.
Our new location is being created in Fort Collins, Colorado, and provides the opportunity to fulfill every aspect of Polestar’s vision and make it available to many more people.
Contact us to visit!
Our Founders
Polestar founders, Michael and Ann Gornik, have been students of Paramhansa Yogananda for over 40 years and have extensive experience building community, general contracting, education, and development. Our team includes a core group of intrepid souls with over 200 years of combined experience in intentional spiritual community.
The Polestar board, management team, and advisors include developers, architects, builders, accountants, lawyers, scientists, health care providers and educators with extensive experience in organic farming, permaculture, yoga and meditation, music, creative arts, wood working, graphic design, videography, and much more.
Our Polestar ‘ohana (extended family) includes a network of educators, spiritual teachers and guides, musicians, and many friends and neighbors world-wide.
Our Friends and Partners
