Playing with Darketypes™
Online Course

Using Dark Archetypes to Find Connection, Power and Love in our Places of Greatest Shame

Join us for an 8-week online course with the founders of the Light Dark Institute, Tani Thole and Leslie Rogers. This course is designed to help you uncover and embrace the parts of yourself and the world that you have been judging and fearing, so you can transform them into sources of love, connection, and personal power.

We will meet live on Zoom every Tuesday evening from 5-7:30 pm Pacific Time, from April 22nd through June 10th, 2025. You will also receive a powerful workbook to support your journey, and recordings of every session in case you need to catch up.

Why Explore Your Inner Shadows?

Whether you’re trying to connect with someone you're attracted to, navigate a difficult personal interaction, or find ways to change the world, unresolved inner shadows can hinder your progress. Despite the self-work you’ve done, your inner critic may still whisper, "You're no good," "You're unworthy," or "You're hopeless."

The key to transformation lies in the shadows — areas of ourselves that remain unseen. By creating a safe and welcoming environment, we can befriend these shadows and release the conditioning that binds us, finding the incredible gifts hidden in these untapped parts of ourselves. This process allows us to find deeper love for ourselves and extend that love to the world around us, opening us to greater freedom and empowering us to greater leadership in our lives.

What Are Darketypes™?

Darketypes (Dark Archetypes) are specific aspects of our inner selves that we usually avoid. While confronting them may seem daunting, it can also be incredibly liberating.

Throughout this 8-week course, you will explore the Light Dark Institute’s 10 Core Darketypes, such as:

• The Dominating Controller

• The Violent Destroyer

• The Covert Manipulator

• The Arrogant Disdainer

• The Needy Wretch

By learning to understand and play with these Darketypes, you will transform them into sources of wisdom, creativity and connection. This journey will help you cultivate a more profound love for yourself and those around you, empowering you to live with the tremendous power of a courageously open heart.

What You’ll Learn:

• Profound methods of glimpsing the deepest truth of who we really are

• Get the Light Dark Institute’s “Darketypes Map” - a system of different Darketypes™, how they relate to each other, how to play with them, and the gifts they each bring

• Ways to spot, identify and play with Darketypes in yourself and others

• How to cultivate a sense of humor and playfulness in areas where you normally feel bound, fearful or ashamed

• Begin the process of transforming your blind spots and challenging your invisible assumptions

• Integrate powerful strategies for facing your fears

• How to find and harness the powerful gifts hiding in your shadows

• Learn how to express your Darketypes in ways that lead to connection rather than disconnection

Your Guides:

This course is taught by Tani Thole and Leslie Rogers, founders of the Light Dark Institute, who bring decades of experience exploring the depths of the human psyche with compassion and authenticity.

Through years of self-inquiry, work with clients, and study of human nature, Tani and Leslie developed a profound map of Core Darketypes. Their approach is compassionate, non-judgmental, and grounded in real-world experience, supporting others to explore what often goes unseen and to relate to themselves with greater kindness.

Featured in The Atlantic and Carolyn Elliott’s Existential Kink, Tani and Leslie’s work invites participants to unlock the power within their shadows, not only for personal transformation but as a step toward a more loving, interconnected world.

Course Format:

• 8 weeks of diving deep into the Darketypes

• Live Zoom Calls: Each week includes a 2.5-hour live Zoom call with Light Dark Institute founders Tani and Leslie, in which they will guide you through powerful explorations with the different Darketypes.

• 175-Page Digital Workbook: Take your learning deeper through Darketype Profiles, real-world examples, suggestions for how to work with each Darketype, contemplation questions, embodied activities, and more in our extensive digital workbook.

• Recordings: Every live Zoom call will be recorded and available to you. We recommend trying to attend live as much as you can, but if you have to miss a class, you can always catch up.

By the end of this course, you will have the tools to transform your inner shadows into powerful sources of freedom, creativity and connection. Join us on this transformative journey to find deeper love for yourself and your world.

Timing:

• All live Zoom sessions meet from 5-7:30pm Pacific Time

• 8 consecutive Tuesdays: April 22nd through June 10th, 2025

• The workbook is self-paced, to compliment each week’s class

Price:

$595 per person
$895 per couple (or for two family members)

We are committed to keeping this course accessible. If you have a desire to join the course but need a discounted price to make that financially doable, we welcome you to apply for a scholarship by clicking here. We want you with us for this journey!

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I take this course if I’ve never done shadow work or taken any Light Dark Institute courses?

Yes! Everyone is welcome. While this course does delve deep into the shadows, it is structured to enter that territory in a way that makes it safe and accessible for people no matter what level of experience they have.

Would you recommend this course even if I’ve done a lot of shadow work or done other extensive work with LDI?

Yes! This course makes an amazing compliment to other forms of shadow work and Light Dark work. Because we have 8 whole weeks—and a nearly 200 page workbook—to dive into this material, we get to go deeper with the darketypes here than we do in any of our other courses. We have had many people join us for Playing with Darketypes after doing other courses with us, even including our most advanced offerings, and they still get a ton out of this course. No matter what work you’ve done before with us or elsewhere, we recommend this course as a deep and potent way to build intimate nuanced understanding of—and powerful love for—the full spectrum of the human shadow.

What is the time commitment involved?

This course offers a lot, and the more time you can give it, the more riches it has to offer. Expect to spend 2.5-3 hours for the live courses each week, plus a few hours or more for reading the workbook and doing exercises each week. The reading averages around 20-25 pages per week, give or take a bit. You can take this course even if you don’t have time to fully keep up in the workbook, but it is definitely true that the more time you can give it, the more you will get.

How much overlap is there with your other courses?

If you have taken other courses with us, such as Light Dark Foundations or Advanced Dark Play, the Darketypes Map and some of the ways we introduce the content will already be familiar to you. However, in this course we have a whole week to focus on each Darketype or Pole (pair of Darketypes), allowing us to go much deeper with understanding what drives each Darketype and how to work with them. In addition, the 175-page workbook has a wealth of information that is currently not available through any of our other courses.

Testimonials for Light Dark Institute workshops

“The Light Dark Institute offers some of the most powerful personal transformation work out in the world right now. Tani Thole and Leslie Rogers have created some of the most genuine, powerful and deep methods to pierce through the layers of shame and artificiality that keep us from truly connecting with ourselves and with each other. I've never felt more seen or more held in all my parts.”
-L. Campbell, Oakland, CA

“Leslie and Tani are two of the most clear, supportive, and empowering workshops leaders I’ve ever experienced (and I’ve been to hundreds of workshops). Their comfort and natural ease in working with the darkest shadows is breathtaking! If you are ready for deep transformation, don't miss out on the profound wisdom of these two awesome teachers.”
-Fred Burks, Berkeley, CA

“While not for the faint of heart, this work is transformational at the deepest level. When you're ready to release shame and step fully into your power, get yourself to an experience with the Light Dark Institute. Highly recommended.”
-Dr. Jane Guyn, Bend, OR

“Tani and Leslie are very advanced practitioners in the Truth. They aren't afraid to go wherever it leads, and give you the tools to make it a lot less scary. They want nothing less than full expression and acceptance of all the creatures and parts we all have inside of us. And they teach us how to find and embrace all aspects of Self--the light and the dark.”
-Kayt, Seattle, WA

“This work is about waking up to fully embrace the truth of all of who we are, it’s about celebrating and loving the parts we have disapproval for and hide. I’ve attended dozens of workshops over the years and nothing has been as deep and penetrating as what LDI offers. It's transformative and liberating on level 10. You owe it to yourself to be curious enough to attend a workshop, what you uncover could answer many frightening questions you’ve wondered about your whole life.”
-Eros Papasideris, Maui, HI

“Tani and Leslie have changed my life irreversibly. I didn't even realize how much of myself was unknown to me until I started doing this work. And I especially did not know that I could step into my WHOLE self and also be loved.”
-E. Barrett Venice, CA

“After working with the LDI, the way I meet life from moment to moment includes more aliveness and less judgement, more of me and less of who I thought I was, more presence and less resistance, more discernment and less resentment, more feeling and less avoiding... Shifting these ratios brings a whole new way of living life. If you want to legit pursue the embodiment of spiritual phenomenons, work with Leslie, Tani, and their team. I said yes to the playground and aimed love at my darkness and felt the treasures overfloweth.”
-G.G., Asheville, NC

“If you are nervous, scared and still curious, just do this. Leslie and Tani bring a style of work that is utterly unique. From my work with them, I find it far easier to express what I want clearly and cleanly. It makes setting boundaries simple. The highlight has been eradicating elements of shame and embracing the darkness.”
-Jennifer Pennell, San Diego, CA

“There's no spiritual work like this. The depth and insight has blown my mind, and shown me the source of many uncomfortable moments in my daily life. I'm equipped with new tools to bring self acceptance to a new level. Power dynamics, part of our every day life, have been revealed.”
-Cate H, Oakland, CA

“The Light Dark Institute's work is truly transformational. Working with Tani and Leslie ripped a hole open in my life, from which deep expression and pleasure continue to crawl out. I left their workshop feeling a profound sense of permission for my sexuality and relational preferences, and with tools to engage in deep and exploratory intimacy. I really appreciated how HUMAN Tani and Leslie are. Their deep exploration of power made me feel so deeply comfortable with the power-dynamic of teacher-student. It is rare to see workshop facilitators so seamlessly and comfortably transition from being in 'role' to out of 'role.' Throughout the entire process I felt comfortable to surrender and trust their wisdom, their goodwill, and their expertise. I'd highly recommend their work if you want to give space for a deeper part of your soul to birth.”
-Mike, Seattle, WA

“The discovery of the Light Dark Institute has expanded my capacity for connection, authenticity and play. It has awakened in me a deep longing to experience my darkness with ease and complete acceptance. This has opened my world to the many possibilities of being a YES to life! Leslie and Tani hold a remarkable safe container that allows you to explore places inside yourself that have been unseen and untouched. Their commitment to this path and ability to share their knowledge is truly inspirational ! If you are ready to take a deep dive into a life transformational experience then this work is for you.”
-Udaya Bryce, Maui, Hawaii