Winter solstice is a time of journeying inward, into the depths and darkness of our being. This podcast features excerpts from two talks Reggie gave on the importance of opening to darkness in spiritual practice. In the first excerpt, he explains how the difficult, ugly, and unwanted aspects of our experience hold tremendous richness and life. The second excerpt is from a winter solstice talk on the meaning of darkness as a cosmic phenomenon in the cycle of death and rebirth. Darkness, he says, is essential to spiritual awakening, because it is only when we let go into absolute emptiness that the universe can give birth to new light and new life.

These excerpts are taken from talks given at the 2010 Winter Dathun and a 2009 Dharma Ocean Community Weekend.