Meet your guides
Your facilitator supports you as you prepare, checks in with you each day, and helps you ease out of the darkness.
James and Gina Farmer
James — Founder and facilitator
“My first darkness retreat was the most profound retreat experience of my life.”
I’ve spent many years exploring the depths of myself: solo wilderness retreats, vision fasts, rites of passage, meditation intensives, plant medicine ceremonies, and long periods alone in nature.
What made my first darkness retreat so powerful was the absence of a prescribed method. No substance, no teacher, no practice to follow — just me and the dark. The insights that came felt undeniably my own, and because they came from the deepest part of me, I could trust them.
I’ve since returned to darkness retreat several times, including once alongside my wife, Gina, who also had a transformative experience. Supporting others through their own time in the dark, each in their own way, has become some of the most meaningful work I do. Gina and I are grateful to walk alongside people as they step into the dark and discover what’s waiting within.
Gina — Bodywork, acupuncture, and nourishment
“I’ve come to experience the dark as a vast, quiet depth—an invitation to descend inward.”
Gina offers bodywork and acupuncture and oversees cooking and food preparation for the retreats. Drawing on her knowledge of Chinese medicine, she develops menus with attention to nourishing the body’s different systems and organs.
Having completed three darkness retreats herself, Gina brings a personal understanding of the experience. Her time in the dark has deepened her appreciation for listening to the body, allowing both movement and stillness, and letting go of the pressure to achieve a particular insight. She respects that each person’s retreat will unfold in its own way.
Bodywork and acupuncture sessions are available for an additional fee.
Jacob Goldberg
Facilitator
“In the presence of darkness, with nothing to grasp for and nowhere to hide, I have moved through primal fears and softened into deeper truths.”
The darkness has been a profound blessing in my life. In meeting those fears and truths, I have become a more loving and integrated man.
A darkness retreat is a precious opportunity to slow down and commune with the fullness of our existence, both dark and light. Being with others as they meet the dark is what draws me to this work.
Jacob also offers craniosacral therapy during retreats, available for an additional fee.