Last Updated on April 25, 2021 by Eva Maria
The Moon Phase that we are approaching is called the Dark Moon. Sometimes referred to as a Balsamic Moon or mistakenly taken for the New Moon. For many Witchcraft and Pagan practitioners, Dark and New Moon have different meanings and attributes to their craft. Below you will find an explanation of the Dark Moon Phase and its uses in magic, spells, and rituals.
I really enjoy this time when the sky gets really dark at night and I can observe all these beautiful constellations above my head. Now, that I’m learning more about the significance of the Moon I would like to introduce more reflection and introspection during the Dark Moon. Hope that with this article you will find your own and unique way to celebrate this time of the Lunar Cycle!
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What is the Dark Moon?
Dark Moon occurs when the Moon is directly in front of the Sun, and between the Sun and the Earth. This way all the moonlight is reflected back towards Sun and we experience totally dark nights on the Earth. This Moon Phase lasts between 1,5 to 3,5 days. It doesn’t mean that the Moon disappears from the sky, it just stops shining towards the Earth for a while. Generally, the Dark Moon energy has a calming and relaxing effect on our lives and planet.
What is the Black Moon?
The Black Moon happens when there is a second dark moon in a calendar month. It’s a rather rare astrological event that should be used wisely. During that time power of the Dark Moon is more enhanced and suitable for rituals and spells listed below.
Dark Moon vs New Moon
For many years I have been mistakenly using the Dark Moon for manifestation purposes and wondering why my spellwork doesn’t bring expected results. Well, now I have an explanation for it.
People who follow Lunar Phases and synchronize their magic work with the Moon have been observing the differences between Dark and New Moon for centuries.
When there is no illumination of our Satelite and it literally disappears from our view sight (the Dark Moon), it’s a great time for gentle planning, introspection, conclusions, and banishing. Until we can see the small crescent appearing on the Moon’s face, we should restrain from making any big plans, changes, and taking action.
New Moon happens about three days after the Dark Moon and marks a great time for setting new intentions and starting action towards our goals.
Dark Moon Intentions
Soul Searching, Thinking, Introspection, Alone Time, Banishing, Meditation, Contemplation, Reflection, Finding Direction for the New Moon Cycle, Relaxation, Intuition, Protection, Cleansing, Conclusions, Releasing Karma, Letting Go, Tranquility, Quietness, Peace, Concentration, Deepening, Hibernation, Learning from past Moon Cycle Experiences
Associated color: Black
Energy: Introspective, Calming, Restorative
Dark Moon Spells and Rituals
Dark Moon Journaling Prompts and Questions
- What have I learned in the Past Month Cycle?
- What things and actions I would like to implement in the future?
- What things are not serving my Higher Purpose?
- What things make me more relaxed?
- How can I improve my manifestation techniques?
- What magical ingredients I would need in the upcoming month?
The Dark Moon is the time to slowly create a vision for the next phases: New, Waxing, Full, and Waning. You can journal about your current mood, write about all your worries, and choose a suitable time to make a concrete plan in the future.
Let me know in the comments what is your favorite way to get ready for the New Moon Cycle!
Dark Moon Meditation
As this is a great time to surrender to Higher Power, you might benefit from introspective meditations. Try focusing on calming your mind, letting go, opening for renewal, and bringing the change.
Prepare your space: light candles, play some relaxing music, or put on a guided meditation. You can use free apps such as Insight Timer to choose from many meditations available online. Find a comfortable position, quiet place, and begin to look inward. Even 10 minutes of focused intention will make your mind less hectic and ready for the upcoming change.
Contact Your Spirit Guides
During Dark Moon, our intuition is on spot! You can benefit from reaching towards the guidance of Higher Power. It can be a God or Goddess, Spirit Animal, any deity you work with, or a spiritual entity from the Astral Plane.
It is also a good time to find the energies that you wish to work with. Ask for assistance and open yourself to the present moment. As with any spiritual work, you need to make sure that you are safe and surrounded by protective light.
If anything feels wrong, immediately dispel that energy and close your chakras. Safety is really important and you don’t want to start working with an abusive or toxic being. Always make sure that meditative state encounters feel good to you!
Dark Moon Protective Work
If you’ve been feeling like something is attached to you energetically, it might be a good time to banish that energy from your life.
Try to work on your inner integration and setting boundaries. There are many herbs and crystals associated with protection so you might want to research that topic further and perform the ritual or a spell to assist with your intention.
Dark Moon Ritual Bath
As we slowly approach the New Moon, we might want to shred all the negativity and past issues down the drain.
A cleansing Bath or a Shower is a great way to let go of everything that holds us back. You might want to add your favorite scent, flowers, herbs, bath salts, or crystals to assist your chosen intention.
Make it a sacred and relaxing time just for yourself!
Dark Moon Water
Similarly, like during other Moon Phases, we can harness the power of Dark Moon by charging the water. Once collected, it can be used in any spells that are corresponding with Dark Moon Intentions listed before.
To learn more about making Moon Water, visit this article.
Past Life Regression
We can harness the introspective energies of the Dark Moon by going deeply inwards to understand our past life and karmic lessons.
To prepare for that work, you should get yourself in an altered state of mind by prolonged meditation, rhythmic music, or other activity that brings you into that state.
Start by setting a clear intention that you want to go back in time to your Past Life. When you feel ready, you can close your eyes and start accessing your personal Akashic Records on the Etheric Plane. At this point, some images or insights might come to your mind. Let them float freely and observe your reactions. You can also benefit from using past life regression meditations or hypnosis available online. This method involves some practice and you might want to repeat this ritual to gain a deeper insight into your previous lives over time.
During the most spiritual phase of my life, when I practiced meditation and yoga daily, I had a few past life realizations popping into my head. This allowed me to access a few of my previous incarnations (some of them not even from an earthly plane) and was really helpful to decide which karmic lessons I have to go through in my current lifetime.
I would really like to encourage you to find your unique method of spiritual practice and meditation. I can only speak from my own point of view, describing the path and experience that I went through. Yet each person is different and I cannot point in the exact direction you have to look. All I can say at this stage is about going inwards and listening. This is already a big step if you are not used to looking at your life from this angle!
What is your go to method to reach to an altered state of mind?
Spiritual Fast
With the assistance of the Dark Moon, we can perform a small spiritual fast. This way we will allow our body to heal and welcome new energy when the moon will start growing soon.
Fasts are extremely spiritual experiences and you might feel lots of emotional purging during that time. Some people decide to make water fast (when you drink only water) or dry fast (no food or water). You can make it last for 24 hours or as long as you feel comfortable. Be responsible and don’t push yourself to complete the fast especially if it’s making you feel really miserable!
From my experience fasting should be introduced slowly. You might want to start by eliminating animal products in your diet prior to the water fast. You could also try a juice fast or a mono-diet (like an ayurvedic cleansing when you only eat one type of food (kitchari) for some period of time). Eventually, you will feel comfortable to extend your fast to 72 hours or try a dry fast for one day. It’s all a matter of personal predisposition, health, and results you want to experience.
Disclaimer! Even though short-term fasting is generally safe and really beneficial to the body, you might want to consult your doctor before restraining from foods and fluids for longer than 24 hours!
Dark Moon Shadow Work
Shadow is the part of ourselves, that we are not immediately aware of. It could be your past life trauma, neglected issues, personal truth you want to hide from the world, and generally all negative parts of your personality that you wish never existed. It’s really common, that during our spiritual development we will face these problems coming to the surface and realizing things that hold us back from becoming the best possible versions of ourselves.
It is in our hands what we are going to do when presented with our Shadow. You can keep neglecting the problems and live your life the way you’ve always been. Unfortunately, these issues (once realized), tend to come back with more power until you heal those parts of your being.
You can simply start by acknowledging that nothing is white or black. Everything seems to change, shift, and be in constant motion. Facing your Shadow might be scary and difficult to resolve, but with the help of the Dark Moon and it’s repetitive nature, you can start integrating and welcoming this part of your life.
For a long time, I strived to be perfect, never making mistakes, or say certain words. This only created a bigger dissonance between my Current Self and the Ideal Person I wanted to be. Only when I started accepting the Shadows in my being, I could start working towards becoming free from my own darkness and limitations. Accepting the work I’ve done and the work I need to continue doing… To become a healthier, harmonized, and more authentic Self.
Books about Dark Moon
- Moon Magic: Your Complete Guide to Harnessing the Mystical Energy of the Moon – Diane Ahlquist
- The Spell Book for New Witches: Essential Spells to Change Your Life – Ambrosia Hawthorn
- Witchcraft Moon Spells: How to use the Lunar Phase for Spells, Wiccan and Crystal Magic, and Rituals – Linda Candles
- The Complete Book of Moon Spells: Rituals, Practices, and Potions for Abundance – Michael Herkes
- The Moon + You: Your Guide to Finding Energy, Balance, and Healing with the Power of the Moon – Diane Ahlquist
All of the books mentioned above are available with Kindle Unlimited Free Month Trial! It’s a really great way to start your magical reading with no money involved! I like to make notes from the books I read and this way keep my spiritual knowledge written down for the further reference.
I hope this article was helpful to understand the difference between the Dark and New Moon. In a few days, I will make a post about New Moon Magic and setting intentions for your further development.
Writing this blog brings me so much joy and fulfillment and I am really grateful that you are a part of it.
If you’d like to see a specific topic on magical studies, let me know in the comment, and I’ll make sure to include it in my further writing.
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My name is Eva Maria and I love to create magical content based on my own studies and experience. Merkaba Study is an online grimoire where you can read about crystal healing properties, spells, tarot, and more!
I really enjoyed your post! It has a lot of helpful and useful information, and lots of great ideas that will help me better harmonize my intentions with the moon cycles. Thank you, Eva!
One thing I would love to see differently among practitioners such as yourself is a move away from encouraging people to check with their doctor, about anything related to their bodies. We have been entirely misled, and encouraged to the point of coercion in today’s world (2021), to give away our authority over our own bodies to the patriarchal western sick-care system. There is NO DOCTOR in the world who is going to know better than YOU whether or not fasting is something beneficial for YOUR body. Period. End of Story. Listen to YOUR body, not the doctors and the “system!” This is the only way we will become the truly sovereign beings we desire to be. Take back your power. Peace, Love, and Abundance to you!
Thank you so much for the comment! I really agree that we should know best what is good for our body. Yet at the same time, many people are totally out of tune with their nature and rely mostly on their unhealthy microbiome that dictates the cravings. I am not a professional health practitioner, that’s why I like to stress out the importance of consultation with “doctors” whether holistic or traditional. Even though fasting is very beneficial, it might be damaging for some people, especially without the right preparation. I believe that everyone will adapt these ideas to their own lifestyle and take what resonates with them the most. And do it in a healthy way. 😀