🔥Men of Integrity · StandardApplications open

Men of Integrity Retreat

A small-group rite of passage for men seeking deeper brotherhood, clearer purpose, and a more direct relationship with what matters most.

January 22 – 26, 2027Grass Valley, California
5–7 participantsPrivate retreat space in a natural settingBy conversation and screening
Men of Integrity
Why this community exists

Three places disconnection tends to show up.

Men often arrive feeling disconnected in more than one part of life at once: from a sense of purpose, from honest brotherhood, and from a lived connection to something greater than themselves.

What is carried

You don't need to be broken to belong here.

Most men who come to MOI are functioning. But something is off — a quiet disconnection, old patterns that keep returning, a life lived only at the surface level.

“I'm holding it together for everyone else. I've lost myself somewhere in there.”
“I keep hitting the same wall in my relationships, my work, my self-worth.”
“I had a powerful experience once, but I didn't know how to bring it home.”
“I want to be a better man — not just say it, but actually become it.”

If any of that sounds familiar, this retreat was built for you — not to fix you, but to give you a place where the truth costs nothing.

The arc

The retreat is four days. The arc is seven weeks. The brotherhood is lifelong.

Seven weeks per retreat: preparation, four days on-site, then integration.

Preparation
3 weeks before

Three Zoom sessions — one per week. Set intentions, build trust, arrive ready. The group is already a group by the time you arrive.

Day 1
Arrival + foundation

Settle in, share a meal, and begin with gentle facilitator-supported Gratitude and Training Ceremonies. Orientation, not intensity. The first evening is designed to help the group settle in and build trust before the deeper work begins.

Day 2
The Deep Dive

The central experience of the retreat: a guided sacred ceremony supported by multiple facilitators, with space for each man to encounter the work directly rather than only talk about it.

Day 3
Integration

A day without ceremony. Group sharing, workshops, and structured support to begin translating experience into language and lived commitments.

Day 4
Heart-Opening Closure

Witnessing, gratitude, and closure with the brotherhood. Leaving with clarity about what you’re bringing home.

Sustain
3–4 weeks after + ongoing

Group Zoom calls and one-on-one integration sessions continue after the retreat. The retreat is not the end of the work. The continuity matters just as much.

Why the retreat is only the entry point

A peak experience fades without people to hold it.

A weekend opens something up, and then a person goes home to a life with nothing built to hold the change. Six weeks later, the old patterns are back, and the experience becomes a story they tell instead of a life they live.

UAF is built the other way around. The 7-week arc — preparation, retreat, integration — is the rite of passage that brings someone in. After that, they join a community of people who share the same foundation: not a doctrine they agreed to, but an experience they've actually had.

That shared ground matters. It means you're not explaining yourself from scratch. Everyone there has been through their own version of the same doorway, and has met the Cosmic Mind firsthand rather than been told about it — a shared ground each person understands in their own way.

Two shapes the same experience can take.Most programsUAF
The weekend
The seven-week arc
Six weeks later
no end date
Day oneMonth threeOngoing
After the retreat

The retreat is the door.
The community is the home.

The relationships do not end when the retreat does. Completing the arc makes you a member of UAF, and members stay connected through the wider fellowship, with regular opportunities for conversation, growth, gathering, and support in ordinary life.

The retreat

💬Community Chat

Every day

Daily connection, local meetups, growth practices, and Reach Out when a member needs support.

Reach Out posts receive a response within 24 hours, usually sooner.

Available anytime

🌱Growth Groups

Twice a month

Twice-monthly facilitated groups that help keep the work active in everyday life.

Two hours · grouped by program

🏕️Member retreats

Seasonal gatherings

Gatherings that bring members back together for continued practice, connection, and shared experience.

Open once you’ve completed the arc

And beyond the formal structure, members organize their own hikes, dinners, local meetups, and time together. That part matters too: the community continues because people genuinely want to stay connected.

You leave the retreat and arrive home.Explore the Community →
Experience, structure & stewardship

A proven structure, refined across every retreat.

2021
Operating since June
20+
Retreats facilitated
5–7
Participants, kept small
For deep individual attention, strong group cohesion, and a high-trust environment.
Medical and psychological screening protocols
Strong emphasis on preparation, pacing, and integration

This is a spiritual rite of passage, not clinical treatment, and participation does not require adopting a doctrine. The retreat is built around screening, preparation, informed consent, careful facilitation, and structured integration.

Sacramental practice

A spiritual practice held with preparation and consent.

Some retreat ceremonies include sacramental practice as part of UAF’s spiritual tradition. Participation is never assumed. Before acceptance, applicants go through screening and preparation that includes discussion of medications, health history, psychological history, prior experience, and individual fit.

Ceremony is held within the larger seven-week arc, not as a standalone experience. Participants receive preparation beforehand and structured integration afterward.

Screening and individual fit

Every retreat application is reviewed for individual fit. Screening includes relevant medical and psychological history, current medications, and other factors that may affect whether participation is appropriate. Acceptance is not automatic, and UAF may ask for additional information or consultation before confirming a place.

UAF retreats are spiritual offerings and are not a substitute for medical care, psychotherapy, psychiatric care, or addiction treatment. If an applicant’s needs fall outside the scope of the retreat, UAF may recommend that they seek appropriate professional care instead of, or before, participating.

Questions about safety or screening? Contact UAF.
Facilitation

The team holding this retreat

This retreat only
Michael Tierno

Michael Tierno

Co-DirectorGuide

Co-Director of UAF and co-founder of Men of Integrity, Michael brings more than a decade of expanded-state experience, a background in social psychology, and a deep focus on integration to his work guiding retreats and helping participants bring what they experience into everyday life.

Yoni Havana

Yoni Havana

Co-DirectorGuide

Co-Director of UAF and co-founder of Men of Integrity, Yoni guides retreats and works closely with members to bring spiritual experience into relationships, purpose, and everyday life.

Michael Van Eps

Michael Van Eps

Lead Facilitator

Board Member of UAF, co-founder of Men of Integrity, and lead facilitator on more than 15 retreats, Michael Van Eps brings over a decade of inner work, including 12 years of close work with Dr. Aubrey Degnan and formal training with her. He helps men bring greater honesty, responsibility, and awareness into their relationships and everyday lives.

Chris Tomasi

Chris Tomasi

Lead Facilitator

Lead Facilitator with UAF, Chris Tomasi brings training in interpersonal process work, Gestalt, Psychodrama, Hakomi, and integration work to his work with Men of Integrity and Women of Sovereignty. His approach centers on authenticity, compassion, honest relationship, and meaningful change.

Practical details

Men of Integrity Retreat · January 22 – 26, 2027
🕓When
January 22 – 26, 2027
Arrival: Friday at 4:00 PM
Departure: Tuesday at 10:00 AM
🌲Where
Grass Valley, California
A private retreat space in a quiet, forested setting. Exact address shared after acceptance.
🪑How many
5–7 participants
Plus the facilitation team.
🍲Included
LodgingAll mealsPreparation sessionsThe four days on-siteStructured integration afterward

Contribution

Reserve your spot now. You may place a $500 deposit to lock in Advance Commitment pricing, or pay in full.

Best Value
🔒Advance commitment
Through Nov 2, 2026
Shared room$2,700
Private room$3,500
🐣Early bird
Through Dec 7, 2026
Shared room$2,900
Private room$3,700
🎟️Standard
Through Dec 28, 2026
Shared room$3,200
Private room$4,000
Registration closesDec 28, 2026108 days left

Ready to begin?

Start with a short application. When you submit it, you can book a free 45-minute conversation with a facilitator to ask questions, talk through fit, and understand the retreat before deciding what comes next.

The contribution and reduced-rate options are discussed during that conversation.

Universal Awareness Fellowship, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. A retreat contribution is not a donation in full: only the portion above the value of what you receive may qualify as a charitable donation, and the remainder reflects value received. Tax treatment can depend on individual circumstances — please consult your tax advisor.

Ten minutes · no cost
1Step one
A short application
Ten minutes, on your own time
2Step two
A 45-minute conversation
A calendar opens the moment you submit
3Step three
The seven-week arc
Preparation · four days on-site · integration

Complete the arc and become a member of UAF.