“A healer’s power stems not from any special ability, but from maintaining the courage and awareness to embody and express the universal healing power that every human being naturally possesses”
ABOUT MICHAEL TIERNO
My name is Michael Tierno and I have been working in expanded states since 2016. Those who know me well today would be surprised to learn that I was a staunch “rational materialist'' before starting along this path. In other words, I only believed things that had some “scientific support.” I believed anything that wasn’t already accepted by science, by definition was false, or at least, not very likely to be true. Well, was I wrong!
I have since learned what many people have known for millennia - that there is so much more to this lived existence than what I had been open to agreeing with. I recognized some areas of inquiry are currently outside of the purview of science (maybe someday that will change). And in those areas, we are left with only our intuition and felt experience to guide us.
AFTER EXPANDED STATES
After my first spiritual journey to Peru, I returned as a changed person. My heart cracked open, and I recognized that I had been living a life based on fear, shame and lack. I had been living life with a shortage of gratitude and grace. I realized I held judgement towards myself and others. I was able to let that judgement wash away. Most importantly, I realized that everything is OK and there really is nothing to fear. I realized that life is not the complicated mess I had convinced myself it was. In fact, I realized that everything is perfect and as it is meant to be.
Profoundly, I realized that I was inextricably a part of nature, not some separate being who is distinct from the natural world. I felt in myself the power of the Divine Feminine and the Sacred Masculine, and I began to make a practice of honoring and cultivating these energies within me. This has spurred me to start teaching others how to better connect with those energies inside them as well.
DELVING DEEPER
As I delved deeper into the literature of expanded and mystical states and made these experiences a regular part of my life, I recognized my passion for helping others using the tools that have had such a great impact on my own life.
What surprised me most about my journey was realizing that I had all this understanding with me all along. However, after spending over 40 years being socialized in this modern, disconnected world, I had tucked this wisdom away, just outside of awareness.
I am convinced this wisdom lies in every human being, usually dormant and under awareness, waiting to emerge into consciousness. My mission is to help others connect with their untapped wisdom, open their hearts and awaken into their divine essence.
MY WORK TODAY
Today, using expanded states, I work with clients in a one-on-one capacity to promote their healing and improve all aspects of their lives. I also help those who have done expanded states work in settings other than with myself to integrate the knowledge gained in those experiences into their regular lives.
With my good friend, Yoni Havana, I co-lead powerful Men of Integrity four-day retreats for men who want to be better at all things in life. I am a co-founder of Heart Sanctuary, an ayahuasca retreat center in the Sacred Valley of Peru, with co-founder Aleyda Cardenes, a delightful, passionate healer and friend. Our mission at Heart Sanctuary is to support others to reconnect to their divinity using ancestral practices, awakening in them a new consciousness in support of Mother Earth so they can spread the seeds of transformation back to their communities at home.
Finally, I am the co-founder of the Universal Awareness Fellowship, a spiritual organization dedicated to fostering expanded states of consciousness and personal transformation through guided ceremonies and teachings. Rooted in a blend of Andean, Eastern, Western, and modern psychological philosophies, our core beliefs center on the Cosmic Mind and the integration of metaphysical concepts with everyday life. We honor the sacred use of sacraments to promote healing, self-awareness, and community connection, with a focus on ethical systems and a comprehensive moral code that supports individual and collective well-being.
