Dark Moon Magick

[Flar's Freyja]

Hmmm.......it was rather difficult to find much information on dark moon magick, and what I did find is conflicting and contradictory:

The time of the dark moon, is said to be the resting phase for all Witches. No magick should be performed during this phase of the moon. Witches should meditate and relax before the next phase of the moon comes around.

http://www.magikcauldron.com/moon_magik.htm

The Dark Moon period occurs 3 days prior to the New Moon. This is the time when you can't see the moon in any phase. Typically no magik is performed during this time. This is the time to give yourself a break, to turn to self and pamper or replenish your own energies. Vision quests and deep meditations are called for at this time to focus on personal matters, questions and answers.

http://www.paganspath.com/magik/esbat.htm

DARK MOON
(from 11 to 14 days after the full moon)
10:00 am
Conjuring: addictions, change, divorce, enemies, justice, obstacles, quarrels, removal, separation, stopping stalkers and theft

The Black Moon: A Black Moon occurs when there are two dark cycles of the moon in any given calendar month. It is believed that the second dark moon of a time of great power within the spiritual world and any magick worked during this time is especially powerful.

http://www.geocities.com/lavenderwater37/lunar.htm

Dark Moon: (when the once-full moon is moving towards a new moon) The dark moon is a time for justice, for delving into the darker recesses of our souls, our angers and our passions, and for gaining understanding into them.

http://www.burntoranges.net/grove/moon/

So - is the dark moon is a better time for reflection, releasing and cleansing meditations than it is for actual magick? Or is it a better time for protection and justice spells?

[ankhesen Sekhmet]

I would say both, depending on your need, and desire.

[Flar's Freyja]

I'd have to agree. I forgot that I'd checked Dark Moon Mysteries by Timothy Roderick out of our Circle library. I looked at it last night after I posted this, and it's an excellent book. There is a ritual/meditation for ending poverty in his book that I tried this morning, since several of those sites stated that 10:00 in the morning is the most powerful time to perform dark moon magick.

[Cajime]

both really, they are often a good time for magick which involves cleansing and releasing unwanted energies, what and being close to the end of the waxing phase.

and really it's up to you

[Flar's Freyja]

Well, I released some things today and told off a relative that I should have told off a long time ago, when her behavior was very hurtful. I guess that her garage sale being more important than attending our handfasting just blew the cork off the bottle.

This has prompted me into taking the time to do a cleansing and banishing ritual prior to our handfasting. I want to go into our sacred union completely clean and pure.

[Flar's Freyja]

bump

[Rick]

...that the only magic done on the Dark of the Moon was negative... curses, woe workings, etc... my personal experiences with positive workings at this time is that they usually come out, well, weird; that is, with the unintended or unforseeable results... I agree that it's a powerful time, but I'd recommend being very careful about what you set in motion during this phase...

[Theres]

i think that both Moons (Full and New) provide a powerful time for magick, and that one should be careful while working with either.
for me, the Dark Moon energy allows me to turn inward to do personal, inner magick, and to find (as Hekate has taught me) 'completion through introspection'.

there is a wonderful book by Demetra George called 'Mysteries of the Dark Moon' (isbn 0-06-250370-7) which deals with this very kind of thing. it is listed as a 'Women's Studies' book (rather inaccurately, i think), but is all about learning to understand and better manage the energies that dwell within our dark sides (which ARE there, whether we deby that or not).
a fascinating read about balancing our focus. i highly recommend it to anyone wishing to explore the dark Moon.

[Flar's Freyja]

I'm wondering if I'm thinking of that title as "Sisters of the Dark Moon" but I don't know the author - I've seen the book that I have in mind and we did a ritual from it at one of our gatherings. It's on my "to buy" list. There's also "Dark Moon Mysteries" by Timothy Roderick that I mentioned in a previous post, which is also excellent.

[Morrighana]

Originally posted by Rick

...that the only magic done on the Dark of the Moon was negative... curses, woe workings, etc... my personal experiences with positive workings at this time is that they usually come out, well, weird; that is, with the unintended or unforseeable results... I agree that it's a powerful time, but I'd recommend being very careful about what you set in motion during this phase...

I was under the impression that it was under the moon void-of-course that magick tends to go off-kilter...or is that the same as the dark moon?? I've only recently begun making an attempt to pay attention to the moon's phases...I'm a fly by the seat of my broomstick kind of witch more times than not. I don't worry much about it, though, as I'm always careful about what I do.