Working with the Dark of the Moon Getting the most from this lunar phase

by Rebecca Brents

  moon  dark moon  

Turning inward

The Dark of the Moon. There's enough magic in each syllable that just the words conjure shadowy, mysterious pictures in the imagination of a world between worlds and extend shivery invitations to step out of this one into ... something else. A place where time itself is inconstant ... and possibilities not entirely rooted in this reality beckon like the scent of night-blooming jasmine. The Dark of the Moon. It sounds so delicious.

Depending on how you use it, the Dark of the Moon can be all that. It's a time of heightened awareness and a far more inward focus. Dreams, visions, psychic energy, spiritual messages and the power of prophecy are more the norm than the exception. It's a time made for special attention and rituals, packed with the kind of creative power you might want to learn to use for your own delight and profit.

A Dark Moon Ritual | Things to Know About -- The Dark Moon

Signs of new beginnings

The Dark of the Moon settles into place every month -- in the last three days of the recurring Lunar Cycle, from two days before the New Moon until about 24 - 36 hours after. Traditional moon lore holds that the Dark of the Moon doesn't officially end until you can see the whisper-thin crescent of new light decorating the right curve of the developing New Moon right around sunset a day or so after the Sun / Moon conjunction.

That conjunction, when the Sun and the Moon occupy the same degree and minute of arc in the Zodiac, is the New Moon. It happens virtually every month. (Sometimes diminutive February gets skipped.) But you can't actually see the New Moon, because in that position the Moon is easily overpowered by the glare of the Sun.

So, the conventional reference to the New Moon (or the young moon, as astronomers call it), is when the Moon reaches a position to first become visible again. It all depends on the Moon's ability to reflect sunlight, because despite romantic references to moonlight, the Moon generates no light of its own.

Defining the Dark of the Moon | Aligning Yourself with the Dark of the Moon

Slowing down

Even Astrologers may call it one of the Luminaries ... a word which means "light giver," but it's not. The Moon is really just a big cosmic mirror whose surface reflects back sunlight -- and in its welcome decoration of the night sky throughout most of every month, it has entered into poetry, myth & legend.

Each moon phase has it's own special energy, but among them Dark Moon energy is particularly potent. As the prevailing energy of the Balsamic Moon deepens, the pulse of life slows down until it becomes virtually still. Attention naturally moves inward. Your interior life takes on new meaning. Messages are transmitted in feelings, intuition and symbols more than language.

The conscious mind, with all its gifts for analysis and logic, cedes the stage for a while to management by the powerful subconscious. As this happens, you may feel like you've gone on autopilot. Emotions are clear and strong, but thoughts are fuzzy. You may be tempted to daydream a lot ... or travel in your fantasies ... or play "What if?" regarding your plans and the future.

Dark Moon / New Moon | The Dark of the Moon -- and the Dark Side of the Moon

And reflecting

You may also feel sleepy and just want to nap. And since Dark Moon energy sets the stage for healing, recuperation, recovery and rest, that's more than expected. Extra sleep now may do you some good, so if life allows you that freedom ... go for it. It's a good way to prepare for the New Moon and its energy of renewal. You may be a creature of spirit, but you still have a body ... so take care of it.

In your awake-time, reconnect with your inner life. Meditate. Journal. Visualize. Ask yourself questions. What do you want to create this next month ... or farther into the future? What are your intentions? What are your first steps? What do you need to release in order to change from who you are (and have been) into who you want to be (and are becoming?) These are serious questions that need serous answers

Dark Moon energy is good for closure, for forgiveness, for making amends, for mourning and setting aside things (or people) who are no longer appropriate to the path you intend to follow now. Getting clear on this is at the top of your personal New Moon agenda now. Here is where you outline the steps that will get you from here to there ... instead of floundering aimlessly and hoping for the best. Too many people do that already.

Black Moon, Dark Moon, New Moon

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Learn more about the Dark of the Moon

Closing down

* The Dark of the Moon is a well-known & much celebrated part of the Lunar Cycle -- the complete monthly circle of the Moon through its different phases. But the Dark of the Moon isn't an official "moon phase." It's a period of time that straddles part of the Balsamic phase (the final phase) & part of the New Moon phase (the start of a new lunar cycle.)

* The Dark of the Moon is the period of about 3 1/2 days surrounding the New Moon (the conjunction of the Moon & the Sun) when the Moon is so close to the Sun it's unable to reflect sunlight back to us from our vantage point on Earth.

The Dark of the Moon: Basic Stuff

Private retreat

Just as the Moon's light fades from view, so does the Dark of the Moon invite your attention away from your public life & outer world concerns -- & focus your thoughts inward into the fertile ground of your inner landscape. It's a time for quiet contemplation, dreams & visions & most of all rest & recuperation from the stress of the past month.

Deep in the comfort & privacy of your inner world, you reconnect to your authentic self ... the person you were designed to be. It's a time to ask yourself if you're on course with your feelings, your intentions & your true destiny. If so, it's time to plan how to continue in the month ahead. If not, it's time to ask yourself some pointed questions, give honest answers & figure out what you need to do to fix it.

Quick Notes on the Dark of the Moon

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The Dark of the Moon
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* What is the Dark of the Moon? -- When the Night's Moon Fades to Black ---> When the night brings no moonlight at all ---> The Dark of the Moon refers to that phase in the Moon's monthly cycle when the Sun and Moon are so closely aligned there is no reflected light from the Sun available to shine from the Moon's surface. The Moon, if you can see it at all -- it's way too close to the Sun, appears black and dead in the sky, and, of course, the nights themselves, with no moonlight at all, are especially dark and still. The Dark Moon lasts about three days, from the time when the crescent of the old moon disappears ....

* The Dark of the Moon -- A time of magic and creation ---> A time of mystery and magic ---> The Dark of the Moon is considered an especially mysterious, fruitful, and flexible time of "molding" the creative experiences that will come forth in the weeks immediately ahead. It is said that wishes made as the last sliver of the Moon's light fades on the left, and affirmed through the Dark of the Moon period until the first sliver of new light appears again on the right, have special support -- special empowerment -- to come true. Affirming them again at the moment of the New Moon itself gives extra push to their ....

* Put Dark Moon Magic to Work -- For YOU!! ---> A time to restore and strengthen your spirit ---> The Dark of the Moon is considered an especially mysterious, fruitful, and flexible time of "molding" the creative experiences that will come forth in the weeks immediately ahead. It is said that wishes made as the last sliver of the Moon's light fades on the left, and affirmed through the Dark of the Moon until the first sliver of new light appears again on the right, have special support -- special empowerment -- to come true. Affirming them again at the moment of the New Moon itself gives extra push to their nourishment and initiative.

More on the Dark of the Moon

* Feeling and Healing -- in the Dark of the Moon ---> Welcome to The Dark of the Moon ---> We all know the shifting shapes and different phases of the Moon as it travels through the sky every month -- from the sickle-shape of the Crescent Moon to the full round dinner plate magnificence of the Full Moon. Those of us deeply aligned with the metaphysical world often wait deliberately for the arrival of the New Moon every month before we begin new projects -- to let the right kind of support and energy assemble.

* Wishin' and Dreamin' in the Dark of the Moon -- When the dark nights invite us to turn inward ---> Three nights of darkness ---> To Astrologers, Wiccans and others, the Dark of the Moon is the term describing the period of about three days just before and after the New Moon every month. It's the time when the final crescent of light fades on the left ... and before the thin crescent of the New Moon appears again on the right. It's what happens when The Moon is positioned so that from Earth we can see no reflected sunlight from it. The Moon generates no light of its own. Everything you see from it as it travels the night sky is a reflection of sunlight, and depending on it ...

* In the Dark of the Moon -- Where it all begins ---> Yeah, I know it's not the Dark of the Moon but do you know how boring those pictures are? ---> Make a note ---> The Dark of the Moon is the segment of time that covers the three days surrounding the monthly appearance of the New Moon. At the Dark of the Moon, the Moon has moved into a position so close to the Sun it's no longer able to reflect sunlight -- and the Moon appears to be totally gone from the sky. Being so closely aligned with the Sun, the Moon is totally lost in the glare as these two primary celestial bodies travel across the sky together.

The Mystery & Meaning Series

The Mystery and Meaning of The Dark of the Moon -- Short Essays on The Dark of the Moon -- Selection 1 ---> A time of closure ---> The Dark of the Moon in Astrology is the point of transition from the final phase of closing down the business of the Moon cycle that is ending to the beginning of the succeeding Moon cycle that about to get started. It lasts about 4 - 5 days and spans the time surrounding the New Moon each month. From the moment the last sliver of light fades on the left of the old Moon until the first sliver of light appears on the right of the New Moon for the month, we are technically in the Dark of the Moon.

The Mystery and Meaning of the Dark of the Moon -- Short Essays on The Dark of the Moon -- Selection 2 ---> A moonless night -- and looking for mischief ---> A time of quiet ---> Intuition is stronger during the Dark Moon days. So is the need to rest and heal. Painful memories and unfinished business from the past -- perhaps the long ago past -- are more apt to come up ... and ask for attention. It's a time to meditate and listen -- to the whispers of your inner voices and the complex longings of your soul. Both have trouble getting past the raucous clamor of everyday life -- and in the silence of the Dark Moon they at least have a chance to break through.

The Dark of the Moon
From the Blogs, Ezines & Elsewhere

The Dark of the Moon -- From Everyday Astrology ---> Everyday Astrology July 7, 2021 Dark of the Moon ---> About once a month, every month (month after month after month) as the mobile Moon moves into another alignment with the Sun, we get a New Moon in a new Zodiac sign. (Yes, occasionally we get a New Moon very close to the start of a sign & another very near the end, but go with me here. That's not important ATM. What is important is the arrival of a New Moon itself, every 29.5 days.) The 3 1/2 days that surround another New Moon -- for about 2 1/2 days before & 1 day after, is a time known as ....

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