The first phase of the lunar cycle – and my personal favorite – is the new moon. The New Moon like the Full Moon is only truly full for a short time. In practice, a witch can choose to connect to the new moon anywhere between a 12 hour period to a 72 hour period. Some believe the energy exists the night before and the night after, others believe there is only a short window to access the energy. In my practice, I go by luminosity. As long as the moon is below 3% luminosity I will connect to the energy of the New Moon, however, the exact length and date of new moon energy can be affected by your geographical location.
A common misconception in the metaphysical community is that the full moon is the most powerful moon phase, because of the size and luminosity. This leaves the new moon being overlooked by many practitioners. During the new moon, the sun and moon fall on the same side of the Earth, so the “lit side” can not be seen. The moon is still in our sky, pulling our tides, orbiting our home, and as such its energy remains. The tidal force provides the scientific evidence to back the claims that lunar energy has power over us.
The New Moon is associated with new beginnings, setting intentions, resetting, and embarking on a journey. This meaning goes in conjunction with its status as the beginning of the lunar cycle. The New Moon Phase is associated with the Fool in tarot.
Learn more about the path of the lunar witch here.
The Dark Moon
For some lunar practitioners, there are nine moon phases. Everything is the same, except a final phase occurs after the waning crescent called the Dark Moon. The dark moon is when the moon is at 0% luminosity. The dark moon is a time for inner work and encourages standing alone for a little while. Block out all of the noise in your life (possibly cutting them off completely), engage in some shadow work, and make some life decisions about yourself. If you choose to live by this, the New Moon occurs when the first bit of light appears at the beginning of the Waxing Crescent. Doing moon phases by luminosity may do well for those who want to practice with the dark moon. Mark the New Moon as being 1-3% luminosity before the Waxing Crescent Make the Dark Moon 3-1% luminosity after the Waning Crescent.
What to Do?
The New Moon is a time for new beginnings, which means it gives us unique opportunities in our spiritual and mundane lives. In the mundane, the new moon presents us with the opportunity to apply for new jobs and meet new friends. Anything that can be seen as a beginning is a moment for you to embrace. It is the moment right before embarking on a journey. Imagine you are going on a beautiful nature hike to see the waterfalls, this is the time where you pick the path you are taking, buy hiking materials, pack your bags, and even drive over. You are merely getting yourself to the foot of the mountain, awaiting the climb.
Spiritually the New Moon provides energy to aid in a new journey, starting fresh, insight, a bit of adventure or risk-taking, or help with shadow work. The belief that shadow work is good for this time pulls more from the energy of “the dark moon.”
New Moon Babies
In evaluating the projection of the new moon phase onto the babies born under it, we can look both at the energy projected by the phase and the tarot it is linked to. If you are born under the new moon phase you will be pulled through the dichotomous role of shadow and center stage. This is because new moon babies have an unyielding desire for adventure. They are always trying new things which makes them appear as a jack of all trades. Their consistent need to jump around may make them seem undedicated. An immature new moon baby will have difficulty mastering a skill. They will be good at many things, but not great at anything. However, enough life experience and mental strength will make the New Moon baby a person of many talents, who excels in all they do. From the outside looking in the New Moon baby may seem like their life is easier, but don’t mistake their ability to embrace change as ease to life’s obstacles.
New Moon babies act on intuition rather than thinking deeply about it. This means they may be quick to distrust or trust new people, which can make them appear judgemental. It also leaves them prone to risky behavior, because they don’t always think before they act.
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